The mask has slipped in Bulgaria. For years the theft was just part of the overhead. Now the scale of the graft is too large to hide.

President Radev is facing his first real test. He has to decide if he will lead a prosecution or just watch the decay continue. Most likely he will do nothing. The system is designed to protect itself.

The decay contains several depressing features.

• The institutionalized theft of public funds.
• The illusion of judicial independence.
• The way scandal becomes a routine political cycle.

This is not a turning point. It is just a moment of clarity. The people are watching the theater of power. The actors are all part of the same play.