BULGARIA: EXTREME NATIONALISTS REAPING WHAT THEY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 000661 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV MARR PINR SOCI RU BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA: EXTREME NATIONALISTS REAPING WHAT THEY SOW REF: SOFIA 0647 SOFIA 00000661 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The extreme nationalist party Ataka is reeling from self-inflicted wounds just one year after its founding. A recent scandal steming from the erratic behavior of several Ataka members following a highway accident has contributed to a sharp decline in the party's support and led to further splits and likely defections within the already dwindling group. The party's fiery leader Volen Siderov is expected to be stripped of his parliamentary immunity to face charges of perjury, inducement of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the incident. Siderov's hope of drawing huge crowds of protestors during the NATO ministerial fizzled, leading the mainstream press to adopt a largely disparaging tone. Despite the party's current travails, it may be too soon to begin writing Ataka's obituary. Given the public's persistent discontent with the mainstream parties and the appeal of Ataka's nationalist rhetoric, there is still room in the political spectrum for a nationalist anti-establishment party. END SUMMARY -------------- --- TRAKIYA INCIDENT REVEALS THE TRUE FACE OF ATAKA -------------- --- ¶2. (SBU) Ataka's latest troubles began with the events surrounding a car accident on the Trakiya highway on April 7th. Initial media reports stated that Ataka deputy Pavel Chernev had physically assaulted the driver of another vehicle following a collision with the car carrying Chernev and Ataka leader Volen Siderov. Chernev and Siderov characterized the incident as an attempt on the Ataka leader's life. Chernev first told authorities that the would-be "assassin" had bumped his car and tried to force him off the road. Chernev, however, later changed his account of the story claiming that he was never driving the car but was in the back seat, feeling unwell and could not recall what had occurred. The "would-be assassin," meanwhile, turned out to be a 22-year old student driving his sick grandfather to the hospital. He told police that the driver of Siderov's car smashed his windshield, slashed his tires and began beating him on the head, screaming "you will die here." ¶3. (SBU) Following a public uproar over the assault and faced with criminal charges, Chernev eventually confessed that Siderov had in fact forced him to lie in order to protect his real driver Lyubomir Bakurdzhiev, who has a criminal record. Chernev acknowledged he was never in Siderov's car, but had traveled separately with a friend, which was later substantiated by a gas station video camera showing Chernev in a separate vehicle. Bakardzhiev, on probation for stealing chewing gum and razors from a store, later admitted his responsibility for the attack. Bakardzhiev, after his confession, hinted that he knew many details about Siderov's private life, which he would disclose to whomever offered him the most money. ¶4. (SBU) The Trakiya incident has sparked strong criticism from the press and political elite. Shortly after the assault, the Bulgarian parliament passed by a two-thirds majority a declaration condemning the behavior of the Ataka politicians as "a brutal act of hooliganism," which showed "complete disregard for other people's dignity, public order and state institutions." The strongly-worded declaration highlighted the "arrogance" of Siderov and Chernev (who then was presumed responsible) in portraying themselves as victims, and called on the prosecutor's office and Interior Ministry to take swift criminal action in the case. After further investigation, Prosecutor General Boris Velchev on April 28 made a formal request to parliament to strip Siderov of his immunity to face charges of perjury, inducement of perjury and obstruction of justice. -------------- ATAKA ON DEFENSE -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Many commentators have noted that the highway incident has exposed the true face of Ataka as a party of hooligans, two-bit criminals and opportunists. Ataka is now paying a heavy price for this unmasking with sharply declining rates of popularity. According to some recent polls, Ataka's has lost as much as 40 percent of its support as a result of the scandal--shrinking from 11.1 percent support to 6.5 percent. Depending on the poll, Ataka has fallen to the third or fourth position in the polls after the Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov's prospective party (GERB),the Socialists, and the mainly ethnic-Turkish MRF. This setback reversed an upward trend since February in which Ataka was gaining 2-3 percent support a month. SOFIA 00000661 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) The controversy over the Trakiya incident has also caused further fragmentation within the party. Ataka's coordinator for Sofia, Khristo Krayselski, announced that the party would propose expelling Chernev and four other party members deemed "not worthy of confidence." Krayselski said the party "will be strict with everyone who is disloyal and harms the good image (sic!) of the party, and misrepresents and ridicules the leader." Among the other Ataka deputies targeted for explusion is Pelo Stoev, the first person to announce to the press that he and Chernev were traveling in a separate vehicle the night of the assault. At the same time, the more moderate Ataka coalition member and apparent rival to Siderov's leadership, Petar Beron, told the press that he will soon establish a new parliamentary group called "Ataka Coalition" that would exclude Siderov and his cronies. Siderov's recent actions, according to Beron, prove that he is unworthy of the honor of leading a nationalist movement. Any further division within Ataka, whose parliamentary group already has shrunk from 21 to 14 members, could bring the party's divisive existence to an end. -------------- BASING PROTEST FIZZLES -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The lukewarm turnout for Ataka's long-planned rally during the NATO ministerial was a further blow to the party's standing. Rather than the "tens of thousands" of Ataka supporters that Siderov promised would take to the streets to protest Bulgaria's Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S., the police estimated that approximately 1000 protestors attended the demonstration. The numbers decreased even further (to roughly 300 by our estimates) when the group attempted to deliver their anti-basing petition to the U.S. Embassy. The party had planned to hold a second day of protests, but eventually cancelled the rally--possibly due to lack of interest--stating there was no point since Secretary Rice had already departed Bulgaria. One newspaper's summarized the party's efforts with the headline, "Feeble Attack Against NATO." -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Despite the justifiable outpouring of Schadenfreude from the majority of Bulgarians who have always regarded Ataka with contempt or shame, it is too soon to predict the party's demise. The current, cozy three-party coalition has left many supporters of the mainstream parties disillusioned and dissatisfied. With the traditional opposition still weak and divided, populist and nationalist groups like Ataka have ample opportunity to attract public support. Ataka, however, now faces a serious challenge from Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov's new political formation, GERB,(reftel) which offers many of the same simple and clear solutions but may represent a more acceptable, and therefore promising alternative for dissatisfied voters. Beyrle