“There are currently many protests. They are small, thematic, some are getting bigger. Some are about the water shortage, where in addition to the lack of initiative and human stupidity we can also add the corruption factor. There was about 500 million leva for dams and other such activities, which according to a report by the Court of Auditors are in the prosecutor's office. And it has put an umbrella over the cases. There are protests on many topics, because many groups of people are dissatisfied. We have all seen how huge protests are often preceded by smaller ones, even in 2013 it was like that“, said Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chairman of “Yes, Bulgaria“, in the program “Panorama“ on BNT.
In his words, the political forces are not the ones that fill the squares, they are filled with the anger of the people. “The rulers - those to whom Peevski gives orders by phone - should know that June 13, 2013 or July 2022 are around the corner. Any subsequent outrage could explode the people. And next week in parliament, 2013 will most likely be repeated. We expect the laws on services to be changed in order to install Peevski's man in DANS“, warned the MP.
He recalled that GERB clashed with Peevski in 2013, and now they are trying to serve him. “Today I saw a photo of Mr. Donchev from the protest back then and I asked myself - what has changed?“, said Bojanov.
The co-chairman of “Yes, Bulgaria“ also commented on the freezing of funds by Brussels: “The freezing of money by Brussels is not a function of who wrote to them and complained. In Brussels, they don't eat tomatoes with stakes after all. The European family shares values, the first of which is the rule of law, which is currently lacking in Bulgaria. There were similar initiatives against Hungary and Poland. Peevski has captivated the judicial system and the Supreme Judicial Council, which is currently carrying out his commands absolutely without question. In practice, this brings us back to a crisis. It is obvious that power is being exercised illegitimately and political representation is being distorted.”, he concluded.
Bozhanov noted that the parliament is increasingly less likely to engage in substantial reforms. “The program is empty, and the laws that are being passed are related to Peevski's personnel wishes - the services, the National Security Institute, shops for the people. The rulers are dutifully implementing“.
Regarding the economy, he emphasized that it is it that must drive new processes. “Bulgaria has many problems. To solve them, we need to think strategically. In order to have a competitive economy, the state must help artificial intelligence to enter faster than in other countries. This is also the goal of the bill on artificial intelligence proposed by us. Bulgarian workers and employees must be highly qualified for these technologies. Ultimately, the budget is filled mostly by operating businesses. Therefore, the most important thing is for it to be competitive and for us to have a strategic horizon for the country.“
Bozhanov recalled that at the beginning of the year, the DB sat down at the negotiating table with GERB to insist on reforms in the judiciary. “One day Borisov ordered the talks to end, and we learned about it from the media. Then we compared the coalition agreements and saw that exactly the points about the rule of law - the ones with which Peevski is now harassing the mayor of Varna and others - had been dropped. Borisov had the power and chose to do nothing“, he pointed out.
“Yes, we were and will remain unyielding for the rule of law. Do you know when GERB last sabotaged the quorum? In the 48th National Assembly, when we had to adopt a mechanism for investigating the Prosecutor General. In theory, they always support anti-corruption measures, but in practice, someone from the neighboring cabinet always stops them“, Bozanov concluded.