"Progressive Bulgaria" is giving the first signals of overeating with power, political scientist Teodor Slavev told the Bulgarian National Radio.
From the meeting of the temporary committee on the rules of the National Assembly, he was left with the impression that the proposed changes are to silence the opposition.
"I would not yet talk about authoritarian signals", he added.
According to him, those in power should be very sensitive to public demands, and they are in no way for less transparency and accountability of the government.
In an interview for the program "Predi visi" Slavev indicated his concerns about the proposals:
"I felt at some point that those in power seemed inclined to listen to the opposition, at least on some things. For me, one of the most worrying things is the shortening of the deadlines for familiarization with draft laws and materials. There is a saying in parliament that when something is urgent there, it is wrong. I don't think our legislative process should be accelerated, it should be slowed down. This is not a speed race. A bad law that is adopted in a hurry does not make it better. The possible participation of not only the opposition, but also society is limited.
In his words, the most sustainable model that is applied in all parliamentary democracies is for bills and legislative initiative to be made for the most part by the executive branch. In Bulgaria, this is exactly the opposite, the political scientist emphasized.
He sees a danger in the fact that the possibility of parliamentary control is being reduced. According to him, this would lead to problems for the rulers themselves, because:
"They lose their first reflex, their first signal to see that there is a problem in the government itself. In a parliamentary democracy, ministers are not only accountable to the Prime Minister, they are also accountable to the National Assembly and society. If someone wants to change this model, let them say it clearly and openly. I am observing the first steps towards an over-concentration of power in the executive branch, and very specifically on Rumen Radev. The balance of powers cannot be changed with procedural rules. We are headed in this direction. In Bulgaria, we have historically observed how the National Assembly was simply a rubber stamp of the executive branch. This has not led to anything good, including for the rulers themselves.
"Eurovision" is not just a concert, but a global media event, Teodor Slavev reminded the Bulgarian National Radio.
"Ivo Hristov is entitled to his personal opinion and taste, but when it comes to who will politically coordinate this process, it matters who the figure will be. Ivo Hristov does not seem like a natural bearer of the values of "Eurovision", which are inclusion, equality, respect, diversity. The signal we need to give should be from a person who has this modern presence and this cultural sensitivity. I don't think Ivo Hristov is like that. He has heavy ideological baggage, highly polarizing positions and public statements that are often perceived as anti-European and anti-liberal, even favorable to the Russian geopolitical point of view. There is no problem in this in itself. But the geopolitical dynamics are so complex that even some technical or administrative delay or some error in the coordination of "Eurovision" in Bulgaria can be interpreted as a geopolitical sign.
Every government has something like a honeymoon at the beginning - public senses are dulled, the political scientist noted and emphasized that at the moment even unions and businesses are slightly accommodating and inclined to discussions. The only thing that can save us are the rules and their observance and implementation, which cannot happen without an independent judiciary, Slavev was categorical.
"As long as we have an acting prosecutor general, I do not expect any sudden movements in terms of investigations at the highest levels of power related to corruption or other violations. The only data that can be obtained is from police actions. Radev is very strongly coordinating all sectoral policies".