The leader of “We Continue the Change“ Assen Vassilev once again called on Rumen Radev to a debate on the future of Bulgaria. According to him, the leaders of the main formations must publicly confront each other and clearly explain to the citizens what they offer for income growth, for the development of our economy, for the fight against corruption and the rule of law and justice.
This happened during a visit to Vratsa, where Vassilev, together with representatives of the PP DB list and the leader Denitsa Simeonova, met with citizens. They visited the regional history museum in Vratsa and opened a chess tournament.
Assen Vassilev asked what Rumen Radev would say about the information provided about the head of the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office Emilia Rusinova, according to which she drove around in a Taki car with Pepi Euroto and people from the "Eight Dwarfs". "We have not heard from Borisov and Peevski on the subject so far, but it is clear what they will say - that the woman is very beautiful", said Vassilev. And he continued to ask - what will Radev say about the issue of the Prosecutor General, because of whom people went to protests? "Should we remove these people from the judicial system and remove the influence of Borisov and Peevski from life in Bulgaria? Should Sarafov go because he is illegal or not? Should the lady be removed from the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office or not? These are the questions that are debated in every normal European country“, summarized Assen Vassilev.
The former finance minister continued in absentia with the questions to Radev: “What will be the economic model that the country will follow? For example, should incomes rise ahead of inflation or not? And what should these additional revenues that will come from the higher VAT due to inflation go for - to buy a golden meadow at 3,000 leva per square meter next to the “Kozloduy“ nuclear power plant or should they go for example to double the tax breaks for young families?“, pointed out Assen Vassilev. He recalled that the tax breaks were 600 leva or about 300 euros. Now from “We Continue the Change“ we propose that they become 600 euros - money that is returned to the people, and not going into coffers like the Bulgarian Energy Holding, the Bulgarian Development Bank and state-owned enterprises to spend it non-transparently“.
Assen Vassilev also identified another topic for discussion - whether or not directors in the administration and those on the boards of state-owned commercial companies should receive twice as much salary as the minister.
He was categorical that the real issues for the development of Bulgaria should be debated. “We know Boyko Borisov. He is a coward, he has not appeared in a debate since 2009. But if we want to be a normal European country, if we have claims that this country will be governed in such a way that both the budget and the government really work for the Bulgarian citizens, the most normal thing, like all European countries, is for the leaders of the main parties to come out for a debate and say what their vision is for the development of the country“, explained Assen Vassilev.
He announced that he had spoken to Radev last week, and the former president said that he needed to think for a few days. “A few days have passed, he has not yet responded. Mr. Radev, are you also afraid like Boyko Borisov? Or will you still come to a debate about the future of Bulgaria, where we can discuss the agreement with Ukraine, the judicial system, and the fight against the oligarchy and whether it will take 800 days or a little more?“, asked the leader of the PP from Vratsa.
According to Assen Vassilev, citizens need a public narrative about who the oligarchs are that we have to fight and what the tax system in the country should be, what the income of Bulgarians should be and what our vision is for a free, fair and wealthy Bulgaria.
“The protest wave from the end of November 2025 was not just another civil discontent, but the biggest wave since the beginning of democracy. "My generation, those born in the early 1990s, young people, and everyone born after that - we want to live differently, to live in a strong Bulgaria in a strong Europe. It is important for us to have transparency, real control, stop the outrages and thus open up more opportunities for young people to stay here, in the Vratsa region," said the leader of the PP.
In his words, in the current election campaign, an attempt is again being made to scare Bulgarian citizens. “In 2022, they scared us that we would die without Russian gas, that by helping Ukraine with weapons, by selling them to Ukraine and our industry profits from this, that this would get us into the war. Now they are scaring us that by signing an agreement that gives us the opportunity to participate, life and health, when the war is over, in the reconstruction of Ukraine, this would get us into the war again. This is complete nonsense, attempts to scare Bulgarian citizens and attempts to escape from the main topic of this campaign. The main reason why we are in elections now is because people are fed up with Borisov and Peevski and their stealing from the budget and not only from the budget“, said Vassilev.
The leader of the PP said that, for example, in order to introduce the rule that the Health Service should notify everyone by SMS what it has paid for the citizen as a service or medication, to introduce a complete ban on gambling advertising in populated areas, a majority of 121 MPs is needed to press the “yes” button. To replace the Supreme Judicial Council, 160 MPs are needed. These are majorities in parliament for reforms in favor of citizens, not for a government.
Four times we introduced into parliament the changes for SMS notifications for activities paid for by the NHIF, which would sharply cut down on false hospitalizations, but four times there were not 121 people with the courage to press the "yes" button. Twice we introduced into the National Assembly the removal of the security of Borisov and Peevski, as well as all other deputies. With the money saved for state guards for the two of them, we could have had two kindergartens instead of guarding them, summarized Asen Vassilev. And he asked Radev whether he would vote in the next National Assembly to remove the state security from the NSO of Borisov and Peevski?
Denitsa Simeonova, for her part, stated: “These are the real questions. When it is said that someone is picking your pocket or stealing from you, they are stealing from you in this way with votes in parliament, where measures that would really stop corrupt practices are not passed, but rather lobbying laws are in place. This is what people should ask. Everything else is empty talk. The specific things, the specific problems should be put on the table“.