Bulgarian Election Offers Little Hope for Greater Media Freedom

Addressing a press conference in Vienna on March 16, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov made a claim that critics say hardly stands up to scrutiny.

"In Bulgaria," he said, "freedom of speech is so encompassing that other countries hardly compare."

Bulgaria, in fact, ranks the lowest of the European Union's 27 members on the World Press Freedom Index compiled by watchdog Reporters Without Borders, languishing since 2018 in 111th place out of 180.

As the country nears an April 4 parliamentary election, press freedom advocates are calling on politicians vying for power to make the issue a priority. But journalists are sceptical they will listen.

"Unfortunately, our politicians don't like to talk directly about serious issues or look for realistic solutions," said journalist Iliya Valkov, a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of European Journalists - Bulgaria. 

Instead, he said, Bulgaria is seeing a "very serious return of party-approved media" reminiscent of a Communist era that ended three decades ago, with the proliferation of television stations funded directly by political parties and media run or "covertly funded" by political interests.

"This context does not provide much hope for change, despite the fact the topic of media pluralism in Bulgaria is mentioned in the manifestos of the leading political forces, sometimes in a generic way, sometimes in a more specific manner," said Valkov.

Election manifestos light on media pledges 

Bulgaria's political elite has long been tainted by allegations of corruption, ties to oligarchs and accusations over the lack of transparency when it comes to who really owns some of the most popular media outlets in the country. Recent years have seen a...