Bulgarian parliament approves government of new PM Oresharski

Bulgarian lawmakers voted 120-97 in favour of candidate Plamen Oresharski to become the country's new prime minister on the 29 May 2013. The 53-year-old non-partisan politicians formerly served as the finance minister.

However, thousands of Bulgarians staged days of protests in June 2013, calling for the resignation of the socialist-led government after the election of a media baron Delyan Peevski, once accused of corruption to head the State Agency for National Security (DANS).

Analysts said that the protestors were in fact denouncing the entire political class, from the centre-left to centre-right, as corrupt.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2013 http://www.europeansources.info/record/bulgarian-parliamentary-election-2013/

EurActiv, 30.05.13: Socialist-led government takes over in Bulgaria http://www.euractiv.com/elections/socialist-led-government-takes-b-news-528138

Blog: The Economist: Eastern Approaches, 30.05.13: Bulgarian politics. A new government at last http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2013/05/bulgarian-politics

Blog: OneEurope, 19.06.13: Protests in Bulgaria: The Awakening http://one-europe.info/protests-in-bulgaria-the-awakening

European Council: Press Release, PRES/13/220: Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, congratulates Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski on the formation of the new government of Bulgaria http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/137333.pdf

---