Bulgaria is facing a fateful choice – to shake off once and for all in the upcoming parliamentary elections from the shadows and dependencies of the transition or to remain in their captivity for an unknown amount of time. This choice depends on each of us.
This was stated by President Rumen Radev at a meeting with Bulgarians in Berlin.
Our dream is for Bulgaria to develop as a democratic European and legal state, which works in the interests of its own citizens and has active positions in the unions of which it is a part. As a modern and innovative economy that attracts investors not with cheap labor, but with rules, standards and its own achievements. Thank you for the meeting in Berlin with representatives of the largest Bulgarian community in the EU – the one in Germany, who raised a number of questions and called for real change in the way institutions in Bulgaria work and are accountable.
I believe that Bulgarians abroad are not and will not remain indifferent to the fate of the Motherland. I believe that they are following what is happening in Bulgaria and will support not only the changes that we all expect and for which we are working, but also the process of rebuilding and building a new Bulgaria that lies ahead. The transition drove 2 million Bulgarians from the Motherland in search of a better life abroad, and one of the goals of our entry into parliamentary politics is for Bulgaria to change so that they and their children choose the path home.
It will not be easy to achieve all this. We are facing a fierce clash with the “Borisov-Peevski“ model. At the end of last year The government was forced to resign after unprecedented protests by thousands of people across the country, but the oligarchy, which has seized a huge public resource, infiltrated deep into the institutions, and taken over the judiciary and services, has no intention of giving up.
There is already information about the distribution of huge funds for buying votes, to entire sectional election commissions, various state bodies are being mobilized in a deformed and unacceptable manipulation of the electoral process for a European country, and the government has legislatively limited the right to vote of Bulgarian citizens outside the EU.
In the last month of the “Borisov-Peevski“ government, traces are being frantically covered up and public resources are being further plundered, contracts are being concluded with “money box companies“ close to the government, and huge sums are being received in advance, documents are being destroyed. All this is done so that the oligarchy can win elections and guarantee its power and influence even after them.
That is why I left the presidential institution to answer the call of thousands of Bulgarians who everywhere in the country insisted that I do so. That is why I am stepping into the political arena so that together with all Bulgarians who love their Motherland, we can achieve 2 important, strategic goals for Bulgaria: to dismantle the rejected governance model “Borisov-Peevski“ and to strengthen statehood and open the way for the accelerated development of Bulgaria as a modern, prosperous European country.
No party has yet announced the people who will be on their lists for the elections, but they are very keen for me to do so, even though everyone is aware of how the conquered state operates and what means of pressure it uses. We will meet the legal deadline and no later than March 4, we will register a coalition with which to participate in the upcoming elections this April.
The question of what ideology we will follow is very urgent. The most pressing issue is the dismantling of the "Borisov-Peevski" governance model, which was rejected by Bulgarians throughout the country. The oligarchy is not divided into right and left, and its removal from power will require a huge national effort that will rise above political bias.
I thank our compatriots in Germany for preserving the native language, culture and traditions and for the active work of Bulgarian schools, folklore ensembles and the student association, which keep the connection with the Bulgarian spirit and the Motherland alive. Their personal successes and self-affirmation in the most developed European country, in a highly competitive environment, are a success above all for Bulgaria, for the development of strategic relations with Germany, for increasing the authority of our country and the interest of German investors in Bulgaria, which is worth investing in.
This partnership between Bulgaria and Germany will continue to strengthen in the interest of both countries and our ambition is for our country to attract more foreign investment in areas with high added value and this will be the focus of my meeting with the Federal Association for Economic Development and Foreign Trade of Germany.