Last week, the current president Rumen Radev broke his silence and responded positively to all speculations that he was starting active work on his political image and to implement his ideas. How?
Dialogue and compromises, but also internal contradictions - this is how media analysts Georgi Lozanov and Valeria Veleva summarized Radev's first major television interview after leaving the presidential post. The two commented on the political messages, media strategy and signals that the former head of state is giving before the upcoming elections.
According to Valeria Veleva, the interview led to "breaking the myth of the strong Radev" and has caused disappointment among some of his supporters. According to her, Radev has not shown the expected leadership and has contradicted his own claims that he has not used the presidential institution for political purposes. She also emphasized the split in his requests - participation in the elections through a political entity, but creating a party only after the vote. “When you go out on the field and say that you are afraid of the oligarchy, this shows weakness”, Veleva told NOVA NEWS.
Georgi Lozanov, for his part, emphasized the lack of clarity and specificity. According to him, the interview did not provide answers to key questions - neither who are the representatives of the oligarchy that Radev will fight against, nor who he would govern with. Lozanov also drew attention to the role of public television, warning that such long interviews create the impression of a predetermined winner. "This is how the suggestion begins that Radev will be the winner of these elections, and this easily becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy," he pointed out.
Analysts have also noted serious internal contradictions in Radev's positions on geopolitical issues, including the issue of Crimea, as well as in his stated fight against the oligarchy. According to Lozanov, the lack of a clear value position undermines his image as a consistent political leader, and the upcoming campaign will show whether this is the beginning of real change or "another slip", as he himself put it.