The MEP from "There is such a people" (ITN) Ivaylo Valchev stated in the studio of "The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov" that the upcoming budget discussion will be the real test of political responsibility and that the government must seek support for policies that bring real benefit to the state.
According to Valchev, after the recent political changes in the National Assembly, the main task of the ruling party is to find the balance between stability and political integrity:
"The cabinet does not have a majority. In order to remain functional, it needs support in the chamber. I hope that now solutions will be proposed that will attract support from opposition parties as well."
He pointed out that the budget will be the first clear indicator of whether there is still a will for stability in parliament:
"We will see more with the budget. We will also see when it comes to our energy security. Then we will understand who thinks in terms of the state and who - in terms of the party."
Valchev also made a clarification regarding the discussions on Bulgaria's derogation for Russian oil:
"The government has not asked whether it can request a derogation, but what is the procedure by which it can be requested. This is an important difference."
He criticized European politics, which he said often puts ideology above economic logic:
"Europe made a mistake because it was not flexible enough. At the moment, each country is trying to save its economy individually, instead of having a common solution. This is the result of an ideological, not an economic approach."
After the so-called reformatting of the government, according to Valchev, ITN has shown that it will not be dependent on external pressure:
"We were expected to be the weak link that would give in to the new forces, but the exact opposite happened."
He added that the party adheres to the signed agreement for joint governance, and that all decisions must be clearly explained to the public:
"We need more explanation. It is not good to let others tell us what is happening instead of us. In politics, it is not enough for a decision to be reasonable – you have to defend it."
Regarding the speculations about a new political project around President Rumen Radev, Valchev recalled that ITN was the first to raise the topic of a presidential republic, but not in a personal, but in a principled context:
"When we talked about a presidential republic, the idea was for a fundamental change in the model, not for supporting a specific person. I am glad that today some of our opponents are starting to think in this direction."
Ivaylo Valchev also emphasized that all major political issues – from energy to social policy – will be resolved through the budget:
"The budget is the litmus test. It will show who is working for the stability of the state and who is only thinking about political gain."