The Only Bond Is Self-Restraint

COVID-19 and Politics in Bulgaria

30 March 2020

Spasimir Domaradzki

Visegrad Insight Fellow

The temptation to exercise power without limits is and will be a test for Bulgaria’s government in response to the pandemic. There are three questions for those in power to answer.

Two masked heavies were beating a journalist while a third person was filming the scene on his phone. The police isolated the Roma ghettos. Meanwhile, Prosecutor-General suggested introducing a curfew and a proposal to triple the penalty to 1,000 leva (about 500 euros) for doctors who do not aid, while forcing them to fight the COVID-19 virus without protective clothing. Two weeks ago, the parliament hastily approved a state of emergency that required the adoption of appropriate legislation.

The legislative process over the new emergency legislation was complete havoc. One initiative would give the ultimate ability of the state to use cell phone metadata to monitor the execution of the obligatory quarantine. One of the members of the legislative commission confidently claimed that in an emergency situation all laws can be changed. While the new emergency law was voted, another idea surfaced to suspend the application of the European Convention on Human Rights during the state of emergency

This is the state of public debate in Bulgaria in recent weeks.

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Spasimir Domaradzki

Visegrad Insight Fellow

Visegrad Insight Fellow. Researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw and Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Lazarski University in Warsaw.

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