“Some of the participants in the presidential campaign, who have extreme pro-Russian and anti-Russian positions, are interested in putting the East-West issue at the center of it. This is a finger-pointing at candidates who seem unable to identify themselves on important issues for Bulgarian society.“. This was stated on the air of Darik Radio by the Chairman of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Krum Zarkov.
He emphasized that regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Yotova has stated a very statesmanlike position – the president cannot be either “anti“ or “pro“ a foreign country, but must follow the interests of one's country.
Zarkov added that the other candidates believe that one must either agree with every decision of the EC or oppose everything. According to him, neither one nor the other is an adequate position, unlike that of Yotova - she is a Bulgarian head of state of an EU member state with her own positions.
“To think that the presidential elections in our country will lead to geopolitical upheavals is naive. We as voters must ask the candidates to speak out on the real issues that interest us and are related to the presidential institution: How do you understand the personification of the nation? What is the constitutional role of a directly elected head of state in a parliamentary republic? How will you contribute to a dialogue on key topics for Bulgarian society and to making timely decisions? How do you assess the situation in which our country finds itself, including in a geopolitical context? These are the big questions that need to be discussed in this campaign. Whether it will pass without much debate like the last parliamentary race remains to be seen. Many of the candidates seem to be betting on the vision and the show program rather than on this essential conversation.“, emphasized the leader of the left.
Asked about Iliana Yotova's chances of being the next president of our country, he replied that they are extremely serious. “We must ask ourselves why she stands out from the very beginning as a favorite. This is largely an assessment of the way in which she has consolidated the role of president in the last year. Her importance for Bulgarian political life in the last more than twenty years is also important. Yotova received the support of many parties and individuals on her own merits.“, he also said.
Asked to comment on a possible run-off with Andrey Gyurov, Zarkov said that his participation in the second round of the upcoming elections is not entirely certain.
When asked about the participation of the BSP in the presidential campaign, Zarkov emphasized that there are unlikely to be many parties, and perhaps no other, that would achieve such a result in parliamentary elections and a few months later contribute to the elevation of a president in a successful campaign.
“The BSP is an important and complex structure. Its current electoral status does not reflect its importance for Bulgarian society. These are hundreds of thousands of people who feel their history, their life path, their family and their future are connected to the BSP and express it in different ways. Iliyana Yotova is one of these people and there are still many of them throughout the country.“, the socialist was categorical.
In his words, his personal cause for the restoration of the BSP is a fight for a tradition that is a continuation of the representation of left-wing thought in the country's institutions and is directly related to: the prosperity of the Bulgarian people, our strength as a society, the fairness of the conditions in which we live, and the vitality of Bulgarian democracy. “There is no democracy without a strongly expressed left. There is none in the current parliament.“, the leader of the left emphasized.
Asked to comment on the rise of “Alternative for Germany”, Zarkov said: “Their victory was predictable. It bothers me that we are not locked into a very narrow choice – between the status quo, generally speaking, in the person of Ursula von der Leyen, which has been rejected by all sides, and a single, in this case right-wing alternative. The challenge here is mainly for us, the socialists in Bulgaria and in Europe. The only solution is a clear alternative to the left.“.