Protests in Bulgaria: roadblocks have resumed in Sofia

A Bulgarian protester fixes a “Resignation” banner on a new barricade made of garbage cans on a major thoroughfare in Sofia, August 7, 2020. NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP

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After a month of discontent in the country, the Bulgarian capital wakes up again under the barricades. Large arteries remain blocked after a police raid, following the arrest and release of a dozen demonstrators a few hours later. The protesters demand the resignation of the government and the attorney general.

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With our correspondent in Sofia, Damian Vodénitcharov

The demonstrators remained on the alert. Several hundred of them spent a sleepless night at Orlov Most camp, one of the city's busiest crossroads. Its occupation echoes the great manifestations of the fall of communism, when more than a million people were there.

The police had dismantled all the improvised camps in Sofia and in the other big cities of the country on the night of August 8 to free the roads blocked for a week. A new camp was built the next day, with makeshift barricades: garbage cans, cement pots and benches.

Borissov's flip-flop

For his part, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov appeared to be on the verge of resigning at a conference of his GERB party, where journalists were attacked and protesters were beaten by anonymous thugs. Borisov then did an about-face after consulting with his coalition partners. He now wishes to finish his mandate which expires in the spring.

The first polls for the legislative elections of 2021 foresee important changes in parliament. Borisov's GERB party could lose half of its seats. The PS in the opposition would also be sanctioned by voting for the benefit of new political formations and unrepresented parties.

► To read also: In the headlines: in Bulgaria, scandals and demonstrations waver the Borissov regime

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