More Political Reactions after President Rumen Radev's Declaration to Enter Politics

Alongside the uncertainty over when early elections will be held and who will head the caretaker government, Bulgaria’s main political forces are now commenting on the expected entry of Rumen Radev into the election race. Smaller parties, for the moment, remain largely reserved. How are parliamentary parties positioning themselves in relation to the anticipated new political project?

• President Rumen Radev's resignation has been submitted to the Constitutional Court

One day after President Rumen Radev submitted his resignation to the Constitutional Court and announced his intention to enter active politics, reactions from parliamentary parties continue.

GERB said that its priority was not to fight Radev or any future political project he might create, but to defend European values and Bulgaria’s European path. PP–DB, for their part, called on him to clearly define his priorities and his vision for the country’s development. Other parliamentary parties were more restrained in their comments.

• Reactions of Political Parties Following President’s Resignation

Denitsa Sacheva of GERB–UDF said the party’s main focus remained on the economy, investment, innovation, and on capitalising on the benefits of Bulgaria’s membership of the eurozone.

Denitsa Sacheva, GERB–UDF:
“GERB will not fight Mr Radev or his political entity. GERB will leave Mr Radev to fight with reality. But it is important to know what Mr Radev’s plans are for governing Bulgaria. Are we talking about preserving parliamentary democracy, or about moving towards a presidential republic?”

From We Continue the Change (WCC), questions were raised about Radev’s geopolitical vision for Bulgaria, his call for a referendum on the euro, and his stance on machine voting during the local elections.

Assen Vassilev, co-chair of We Continue the Change (WCC–DB):
“Does he want a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe, or does he want a Bulgaria following the ‘Orbán model’, playing the role of a Trojan horse within the European Union and obstructing its integration? Mr Radev said he supported 100 per cent machine voting, yet during the Denkov government, when machine voting was sabotaged in the first round of the mayoral elections, he did not allow the replacement of the heads of the State Agency for National Security who were responsible. Why?”

According to Yes, Bulgaria, Radev’s entry into real politics will confront him with difficult choices.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, Yes, Bulgaria (WCC–DB):
“He is stepping down from the comfort of the presidency, where he could choose which topics to take positions on and which to avoid, and where he could escape the need for difficult compromises. These are compromises that those of us who have long been on this political terrain have had to make.”

After yesterday’s comments by the leaders of Vazrazhdane, Kostadin Kostadinov, and of 'There Is Such a People', Slavi Trifonov, today both parties limited themselves to brief remarks.

Zlatan Zlatanov, Vazrazhdane:
“Wait a moment, wait a moment.”

" Wait a minute, wait a minute."

Alexander Rashev, 'There Is Such a People':
“Dear citizens, Slavi Trifonov has already expressed his position on Rumen Radev’s resignation, so I have nothing further to add. Thank you.”

Meanwhile, the honorary chairman of Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, Ahmed Dogan, announced in a Facebook post that his party would support Rumen Radev and called for the formation of an anti-mafia front against what he described as a “captured state”. He said that although much work lay ahead, joint efforts by all generations could dismantle the “deep state” and restart democracy.

The remaining parties have so far declined to comment.