Political Reactions After President Rumen Radev Announces Resignation

Political commentary continues to mount following President Rumen Radev’s decision to resign. After he announced yesterday that he would step down, today, January 20, his former chief of staff, Ivo Hristov, outlined in the programme “The Day Begins” the reasons that led to this decision.

Reactions of the parties after the President’s resignation (Overview)

According to Ivo Hristov, Radev’s main opponent is the political class as a whole.

Ivo Hristov:
“The appeal for the President to enter politics comes precisely from the despair caused by the current political marketplace. People have given up on what is on offer. In that sense, no coalition is desired by the public. Of course, such a situation is possible. Either we must strive for an absolute majority, which can only be achieved through massive public participation, or, as a last resort, a programme government could be formed with a very short horizon of a few months – three to four months – with a clear date for the next elections. This programme government would deal with some urgent matters, such as reforms in the judiciary, which is already questioning its own legitimacy, to the point where even those within the system no longer know who is legitimate and who is not.”

Yesterday, even before it became known that the President would address the nation, GERB leader Boyko Borissov gave an interview to Capital. In it, he said that Radev was behaving like a party leader while using the attributes of state power. Nevertheless, Borissov added that he had “greater trust in Radev than in 'We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria'.

The co-chair of 'Yes, Bulgaria', Bozhidar Bozhanov, wrote on Facebook that Radev was stepping down from the comfort of his “tower”, where he had not had to make any significant compromises. He argued that WCC–DB had learned from their compromises and were therefore prepared for a battle with what he described as the Borissov–Peevski model.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of 'Yes, Bulgaria', said:
“He is stepping down from the comfort of his tower, where he did not have to make any serious compromises, and those he did have to make were lost in the fog of political infighting. We have learned our lessons from compromises and understood our mistakes. That has made us stronger and better prepared for the fight against the model currently embodied by Peevski and Borissov. Radev’s speech could have been a programme speech for his future political project. Instead, he chose generic populism.”

A statement also came today from the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF). Its honorary chairman, Ahmed Dogan, congratulated Radev, adding that only he could be the decisive factor in forming an anti-mafia front against what he called a “captured state”. ARF declared its unconditional support for Radev, saying that with joint efforts it was possible to mobilise all generations to dismantle the “deep state”.

Ahmed Dogan, honorary chairman of ARF, said:
“Congratulations, Mr President! Only you are the decisive factor for the formation of an anti-mafia front against our captured state. We, in the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, stand unreservedly with you. Much work lies ahead. But with joint efforts, coordination and unity, we can mobilise all generations to dismantle the ‘deep state’ and set a restart of democracy.”

Other political formations commented yesterday. The leader of 'Vazrazhdane' said he was looking forward to election debates with Radev. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) stated that they once again had a President, in the person of Iliana Iotova. 'There is such a Peopl', 'Morality, Unity, Honour' (MECh) and 'Velichie' welcomed Radev’s entry into the political arena.

Only MRF–New Beginning has so far refrained from commenting on the issue.