Borisov survives another scandal

"Storm in a glass of water," headlines Trud. The Sofia daily reports on the 20 January vote of confidence, which has ensured the survival of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. At the end of a particularly heated session in parliament, with one MP doused with water by an angry colleague, Trud explains that the government, which benefited from the support of Borisov’s centre-right GERB and its ally the ultra-nationalist Ataka party, obtained the votes of 140 of the 214 MPs present. At the beginning of the month, the country was rocked by Tanovgate — a telephone tapping scandal named after the national customs chief Vanio Tanov — and information leaked to the Bulgarian press which implied that certain members of the government, including the Prime Minister, "were protecting" a number of trafficking businesses. In response to the controversy, Borisov claimed the wiretap tapes had been manipulated by “organised criminals intent on attacking” his government, and called for a confidence vote in parliament.