Georgi Karasimeonov(Ed.) B A R O M E T E R Bulgaria’s Political Parties Year 13, Issue 2 April-June 2013 The political situation over the past three months has been particularly dynamic and tense and was marked by the May 12th parliamentary elections. The election campaign itself was extremely strained and marred by a series of scandals. Oresharski’s government started out with the lowest confidence levels of the entire period since the democratic changes. Elections registered the lowest voting turnout, while close to 25% of voters have no parliamentary representation, as the smaller political parties they gave their support to failed to pass the electoral threshold. New protests in the country, triggered by Delyan Peevski’s unsuccessful appointment as head of the State Agency for National Security(SANS) have further reinforced political tensions. BSP accepted the mandate to form a new government, thus burdening itself with the tremendous responsibility of supporting a minority government in rather difficult and volatile socio-political circumstances. The“Peevski” scandal and subsequent protests have a very negative impact on the party’s credibility and that of its leader Stanishev. Tensions within the party itself are growing, while its members and supporters have good cause to be hesitant. DPS gained a sure footing within Oresharski’s government, with representatives not only among ministers but also deputy-ministers and governors. The appointment of Delyan Peevski, a DPS MP, as head of SANS further intensified negative attitudes towards the party. Friedrich Ebert Foundation Office Bulgaria Analyses