“The oligarchy just changed its clothes.“ This was stated by the presidential candidate and leader of "Vazrazhdane" Kostadin Kostadinov in the show "Face to Face" on bTV. He commented on the heightened political tension between the ruling party and the opposition, the arrests of mayors, Bulgaria's foreign policy and the need to change the government.
According to him, the confrontation between the main political forces does not lead to real change, but represents a struggle for influence between different groups.
Kostadinov stated that the president should not take sides in political conflicts, but he cannot be a mediator in every clash between parties.
In his words, the head of state must remain above such contradictions.
“I see this as an intra-clan oligarchic clash“, he said regarding the latest political events.
The leader of “Vazrazhdane“ criticized both GERB and MRF, as well as the ruling “Progressive Bulgaria“. According to him, the change of political government often leads only to the replacement of some local power structures with others.
„It is vicious that whoever comes to power removes the feudal lords in order to put his feudal lords in place. In general, we see some kind of story like „my feudal lord is better than your feudal lord“. And we from „Vazrazhdane“ do not distinguish between one feudal lord and another. We have seen this before. Remember that Mr. Borisov, when he ruled the country, started like that. But we have also seen how far it has come“, said Kostadinov.
He expressed the opinion that oligarchic dependencies can be overcome by increasing incomes and living standards.
“A person who has a decent salary is a free person“, said the presidential candidate.
Kostadinov also commented on the non-held extraordinary session of the National Assembly.
He pointed out that two deputies from “Vazrazhdane“ were present, but denied that the party had intentionally boycotted the meeting.
According to him, it was clear in advance that the necessary quorum would not be gathered.
The presidential candidate insisted on an investigation into the information about pardons carried out by Iliana Yotova, expressing concern about the allegations about pardoned persons convicted of crimes related to drug trafficking.
At the same time, he raised the question of why such cases, as well as the arrests of mayors, become a central topic immediately before the presidential elections.
“All these problems should be commented on, but their place was before the campaign or after the campaign“, said Kostadinov.
According to him, the timing of these actions creates doubts about the political scenario. However, he did not present evidence of such coordination.
Kostadinov accused the government of sending different messages to the Bulgarian public and to its European partners.
According to him, the government is trying to present itself as close to Russia to Bulgarian voters, while on the international stage they support common European positions against Moscow.
He also criticized the protests against the cabinet's foreign policy, stating that in his opinion some of the participants are demanding an even sharper anti-Russian position.
When asked how he would react as president to drone attacks on ships and deaths of people, Kostadinov said that he would take action to end military support for Ukraine.
“I immediately stop the arms to Ukraine, I immediately declare neutrality, I immediately terminate the treaty with Ukraine“, he said.
The presidential candidate linked the security risks in the Black Sea to Bulgaria's involvement in supporting Ukraine. He also expressed concerns that military tensions could have a serious impact on the tourism sector in 2027.
Kostadinov said that according to the information he has, early requests from Western European tourism markets are extremely weak. He warned of possible bankruptcies in the sector, but did not provide specific data to confirm his forecast.
One of the main ideas in the presidential campaign of Kostadinov and vice-presidential candidate Petar Volgin is the change of the political system.
According to the leader of “Vazrazhdane“ the parliamentary republic in Bulgaria has lost public trust and a new model of government is needed.
“The parliamentary republic has failed, above all morally“, he said.
Kostadinov proposed the introduction of a semi-presidential republic similar to France.
In the model he presented, the president would have broader powers, including appointing a government, dissolving parliament, calling elections and initiating legislative changes.
At the same time, the National Assembly would retain the ability to dismiss the government and exercise control over the head of state.
According to Kostadinov, this would achieve a balance between the institutions, without power being concentrated entirely in one of them.
Such a change would require a significant revision of Bulgaria's constitutional model.