EKIP– Expert Club for Economics and Politics A Different Opinion
Plamen Oresharski's government is set to resign within a month. This means that the one-year rule of the coalition between the BSP and the MRF will soon come to an end. This came after the announcement of the results of the European Parliament elections, which showed that the BSP's popularity had decreased compared to a year earlier, when the Socialists received a mandate to govern after early elections.
The BSP explained the loss of electoral support with internal conflicts, the secession of party members, some aspects of its partnership with the MRF, and the ineffectiveness of the policies implemented by Oresharski's cabinet.
The Socialists ignored the almost incessant protests against the government and did not give in earlier, because in a democracy it is typical for there to be a variety of political beliefs and what is more important is what percentage of those who support the ruling party are. Thus, when support for the BSP fell, the democratic process of inter-party competition for power faced the Socialists with the following choice - either to give a greater governing role to their coalition partner or to dissolve the government.
The lesson here is that, ultimately, the power of any government rests on public approval. This should make us think about how not voting for a particular party (or not voting in general) plays an important role in determining the political landscape. The low voter turnout in Bulgaria indicates that Bulgarians are generally dissatisfied with politics. And the significant changes in the distribution of votes between the different political forces and the rise of some parties at the expense of others indicate that Bulgarians are looking for change.
Yes, some voters want one thing, some want another. But they also have something in common. This is their belief that they can achieve a given goal through politics. Some want more goodies from the state, others less, but both groups vote - presumably for politicians who will protect these mutually exclusive desires. This is because both groups (separated by their understanding of the role of the state) lack patience, planning and a willingness to sacrifice short-term for long-term satisfaction. In other words - both groups have relatively high time preferences.
Some do not realize that in order to generate more income and raise their standard of living, qualities such as foresight and thrift are required. Others do not realize that these same qualities are necessary for building a free society.
In this sense, it can be said that voting is a somewhat childish act, betraying a lack of long-term vision and a thirst for achieving quick results. The high time preferences of voters are to some extent institutionally predetermined – democracy simply tends to shorten the planning horizon and the time that a person is willing to sacrifice to achieve satisfaction. Of course, there are other factors influencing the premium that a person places on the present over the future – one of them is the personality factor (the psychology of the individual). This means that not all is lost and despite the environment in which we find ourselves, with sufficient self-control we can change the status quo.
