Independent municipal councilor in the Sofia Municipal Council and leader of "Solidarity Bulgaria" Vanya Grigorova commented in the studio of "The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov" on BNT on national and local politics, raising sharp questions about the lack of a budget, the eurozone, the role of President Rumen Radev and the deepening garbage collection crisis in Sofia.
According to Grigorova, the biggest positive effect of the fall of the government is that public anger was heard: "Undoubtedly, the biggest plus is that the anger of the people was heard – that they no longer want to stand quietly and endure the impudence of the authorities."
She pointed to the refusal to hold a referendum on Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone as a key example: "For me, the greatest impudence was the disregard for the right of citizens to say whether they want to or do not want to enter the eurozone."
Along with this, however, Grigorova also emphasized the serious downside of political instability: "The government should not have fallen at this moment, because now we are without a budget. And a state cannot function without a budget."
According to the municipal councilor, the lack of a state budget already has real consequences, especially for healthcare: "Municipal hospitals will not even be able to pay the salaries of doctors and nurses."
As a specific example, she pointed to Second City Hospital: "Last week, a letter was received from Second City Hospital requesting a loan of 3 million leva so that they could pay salaries even for January."
According to her, the same problem affects other municipal, as well as some state hospitals, especially after the NHIF returned the limits: "This delay in revenues is at the expense of the development and functioning of hospitals - municipal and state. Private companies do not have this problem."
Vanya Grigorova believes that President Rumen Radev will rather enter the political arena: "I think that Mr. Radev will rather take part in real politics, because the presidency by definition has no real power."
She defended the active role of the president as an expression of public discontent: "The president should not be a poodle who only shows himself on television. Someone should express the dissatisfaction of the citizens."
According to her, a possible party around the president should clearly have a social and solidarity profile. Grigorova was categorical that the garbage collection crisis in Sofia was predictable and a management failure: "This moment was ripe back in October, but a state of emergency was not declared."
She accused Mayor Vasil Terziev of lacking a real plan: "We hear about plan A, plan B, plan C, but we don't see them and we don't feel them."
According to her, the management of the capital is PR, not real management. Grigorova sharply criticized the extension of contracts with the company "Titan":
"The contracts are being extended illegally and at prices of 209 leva, given that the municipality had set 166.67 leva."
According to her, in some areas the price reaches 285 leva: "This is almost double the price that the mayor promised not to exceed."
According to Vanya Grigorova, the crises - national and local - are the result of a lack of consistency, transparency and real political will.