“The appeal for the President to enter politics stems from public frustration with the existing political scene, as citizens feel let down by available options,” Ivo Hristov, former chief of staff to President Rumen Radev, told BNT on January 20.
“The public appeal has been clear since 2020. At almost every handshake the President had with people across the country, at least as far as I travelled with him, the question was always the same. This demand has only intensified over time, and recently it is the only thing people talk about,” Hristov said.
According to him, the tension in society has not been generated by the President, but by politicians.
“I do not think anyone deliberately sought to stir up tension. It was often done by his political opponents. Even during the consultations with the President, they would say: ‘Come on, come into the political arena.’”
Asked whether “Our Bulgaria” would be the name of Radev’s future political project, Hristov replied:
“‘Our Bulgaria’ – I do not know whether such an option has been discussed, but it is a good name. In recent years, it is precisely the feudal, proprietary attitude towards Bulgaria that has alienated and outraged people. It is important for every Bulgarian to know that each of us holds an equal share in the present of our homeland.”
Hristov added that the political class itself had hastened to “stamp and certify” Radev as the only alternative.
“To my surprise, a united front emerged, including Kostadin Kostadinov, General Atanasov, and various intellectuals from the right-wing petitions, who tried to express themselves through a kind of in-house humour and irony. The common denominator covered all existing parties, which shows that there is no other alternative to the current model.”
Commenting on the characterisation Radev indirectly made of "We Contnue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria' (WCC-DB) in his address to the nation, Hristov said:
“Radev is following a line of speaking the truth. WCC–DB entered power with a pledge to fight corruption, formed the so-called “patchwork” coalition cabinet and then set about laundering their opponents. That is the summary of WCC–DB’s actions in government. Along the way, they also managed to damage the Constitution, and now Professor Kirov and other constitutional experts are trying to explain the labyrinths of the new Constitution.”
The former presidential adviser stressed that there was no sign of a change in WCC–DB’s behaviour.
“Everyone has the right to evolve, but no repentance can be seen. On the contrary, they persist.”
According to Hristov, Radev’s main goal would be to achieve an absolute majority.
“In my view, either we should strive for an absolute majority, and that can only happen through massive voter turnout, or, as a last resort, a programme government could be formed with a very short horizon of a few months and a clear date for the next elections. This programme government would deal with some urgent issues, such as reforms in the judiciary, which is already questioning its own legitimacy. Even those within the system no longer know who is legitimate and who is not.”
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In his adress on January 19, referring to the “patchwork” coalition cabinetm, (which was widely used as a reference to the previous regular government including GERB-UDF, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Rumen Radev said it “ultimately erased the line between corrupt actors and anti-corruption fighters, between legality and lawlessness”. He described constitutional changes as “the hijacking of the Constitution” and said that, “in its new form, the Basic Law enshrined permanent oligarchic control over the executive branch”. Radev added that “the caretaker government is no longer a dependable guarantor of free and fair elections”.
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