this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2025
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Southeast Europe

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Everything about the Balkans as the region is known historically, or Southeast Europe, as is the more precise geographical term.

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Serbian power brokers have played Bulgaria as an antagonist throughout decades of political and ethnic engineering in the wider region, most explicitly in Macedonia.

Now Vucic's regime starts a narrative of Bulgaria being behind the "color revolution" of its home-grown students movement. This screams desperation.

It has always astonished me how retirement has never been an alternative for authoritarians. Their earlier choices doom them to struggle for the rest of their lives.

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[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Authoritarian leaders cannot retire. They need to hold on to let at all cost because once they lose power they'll end up hanging face down from the roof of a gas station. Once you turn to that path, there is no turning back.

[–] mapto@feddit.bg 1 points 1 day ago

My point exactly. The only certain way for someone to prove they are not a dictator is to retire, typically after two terms as a head of state.

[–] mapto@masto.bg 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] tentaclius@vkl.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

@mapto@masto.bg @mapto@feddit.bg Belarusian expats/refugees whose passports are about to expire watching jealously...
Come on, Bulgaria! We probably also once were a part of Great Bulgaria too!

[–] mapto@masto.bg 1 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

@tentaclius @mapto@feddit.bg I actually thought it's easy to get residence and work permit. In my head it is then only a matter of time. So it isn't then?

[–] tentaclius@vkl.world 1 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

@mapto@masto.bg @mapto@feddit.bg
Not quite easy, but possible. The problems begin when current national passport expires: it is only possible to prolong the document by returning to Belarus, which is very risky for many migrants. In many European countries this problem is recognized, but Bulgaria is just too far away from Belarusian politics to be bothered.