SOFIA, Bulgaria—On the evening of Oct. 16, the 100th consecutive day of anti-corruption protests in Bulgaria, ominous dark clouds hung over Sofia. Thousands of people gathered in front of the Largo, the national legislative center, even after the clouds unleashed a massive downpour. It felt like all of Sofia was there, from kids catching raindrops to grandmas in floral headscarves. This energized, intergenerational crowd is one of the main reasons Bulgarians think that this time the country’s oligarchic system will start to crack.
The last big anti-corruption protests forced Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to step down after four years of governing in 2013. His successor was in power for just over a year before protests kicked off by his nomination of a notorious oligarch as head of national security ultimately forced him out. Borisov was back as prime minister by the end of 2014. The revolving leadership didn’t solve the country’s deep-rooted corruption problem.
