Bulgaria is in a period of political fragmentation, which has been going on since 2021, and there are no prospects for a decisive victory for any of the main political forces in the next 4-5 years, said political scientist Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev in the program "Offensive" on NOVA NEWS.
According to him, President Rumen Radev's rhetoric is escalating in an attempt to attract the widest possible circle of voters, mainly from the periphery and among Bulgarians who permanently do not vote.
"His strategy here is to draw the widest possible support. He is obviously advised that there is a large group of persistent non-voting people in Bulgaria, whom he is capable of mobilizing if he creates a party," Stoychev commented.
The political scientist is critical of the head of state's approach: "This is populist speech that reaches voters very easily based on anti-images. He does not talk about what should be done in the future, but what should be erased now."
Regarding Boyko Borisov's statement that there are "five prime ministers" in the country, Assoc. Prof. Stoychev noted that although metaphorical, this statement reflects reality.
"If we abstract from the word "prime minister" and say that there are five centers of power, this is absolutely relevant to today's coalition. "Teamwork is required at the moment," he pointed out.
Regarding governance, Stoychev stressed that Borisov is not prepared to control a government like the current one. "The more suitable prime minister is Zhelyazkov, because he manages to strike a balance in a way that allows the government to do its job and for him to look good," the political scientist added.
Regarding the future of "We Continue the Change", Assoc. Prof. Stoychev believes that the leadership choice in the party is currently of no particular importance. According to him, the formation has functioned since its inception through numerous public spokespeople, without a clearly expressed central figure.
The main question, according to the political scientist, remains whether sufficiently motivated and convincing individuals will be found to engage voters with specific messages and real political actions.
Analyzing social processes, Assoc. Prof. Stoychev rules out the possibility of a repeat of the mass street protests of 2020. Today, the social and international factors that catalyzed civil discontent then are missing - including the pandemic isolation and the global protest wave that started in the USA, he concluded.