While most eyes were turned to the mass demonstrations in the streets of Beograd this winter, a more and successful popular revolution was happening right next door. The Serbs did not manage to unseat one of the last "popularly elected" communist dictators, but the Bulgarians did using same non-violent protest strategy. After 10 weeks of mass demonstations in the streets of Sofia, the government resigned in disgrace and called for new elections.

Within two months the democratic opposition taken control of the government. One of the most signifcant changes was in energy policy. The new Minister of Energy did the unthinkable, he declared that the Kozloduy nuclear power plant was unsafe and the first 4 reactors should be phased out within four years and replaced with a rigirous energy efficiency program. The nuclear mafia (including the electrical utility) screamed and tried to have him replaced. But the new government held its ground.

The Minister of Industry then went on to do something that the European Union, the G-7 and the largest development banks in the world have been unable to do. He cancelled an unfinished Russian designed nuclear power plant called Belene. After reviewing the expert testimony, he deemed these reactors " economically unjustifiable and technically infeasible ".