“We need to know specifically what to expect from Rumen Radev. I understand the need to preserve the funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and for the country to receive this money, but we cannot approach the institutions as if they were plasticine that can be molded according to the current needs“. This was stated on the air of Nova TV by the journalist from “Sega“ Lyudmil Iliev, quoted by novini.bg.
According to him, there is currently no comprehensive concept for implementing the promised changes and there is a risk that the expected reforms will remain just words.
Entrepreneur Tanya Skrinskaa identified two possible explanations for the behavior of the new government. According to her, either the cabinet is following a pre-planned strategy from the election campaign, or some of the people in the government are still not clear on what exactly they should do.
“If it is the first, such a style of government is extremely wrong. Society should not be kept in the dark. Surprises are a tactic against a political opponent, not against one's own citizens,“, the entrepreneur commented.
Political scientist Milen Zhelev, however, sees the presence of political will to act, albeit accompanied by serious mistakes. According to him, the case of investor Oleg Nevzorov is the first major blunder of the cabinet.
„The government made an unsuccessful attempt to shift responsibility to the prosecutor's office. It was suggested that this person was wanted, and later it turned out that he was in the country and simply no one was looking for him“, Zhelev pointed out.
The topic of sanctions against Russia also caused comments. According to Lyudmil Iliev, the public space has created a wrong impression about the Bulgarian position on the issue. „The sanctions package was adopted by an absolute majority. Boyko Borisov even ironically congratulated Rumen Radev for managing to create the impression that he was defending Russian interests, given that the sanctions were also approved with Bulgarian support“, the journalist said.
Tanya Skrinska believes that society was ready for large-scale reforms more than ever and the current government has a rare historical chance to implement them. “Each ministry had to start with a comprehensive analysis of its activities. Ministers had to clearly explain how they would digitalize the administration, how they would increase efficiency and where structural changes were needed“, she noted.
According to her, the shadow economy continues to be a serious problem for the country.“Around 35 percent of the economy remains in the shadow sector and it is high time everyone made their contribution to the development of the state“, said Skrinska.
Zhelev drew a parallel between the management style of Rumen Radev and that of GERB leader Boyko Borisov. “When experts talk about the need for cuts in the administration, and the next day the prime minister comes out and assures that this will not happen, contradictory signals are created“, the political scientist commented.
The experts also paid attention to the processes in the opposition. According to Tanya Skrinska, the departure of key figures from some parties could be a serious problem for their future. She cited Delyan Dobrev as an example, who she said had accumulated disappointment with GERB's economic decisions, as well as the MRF, which also experienced internal turmoil.
“What we see in the opposition today is a direct result of the surprise vote in April,“ concluded Lyudmil Iliev.