Assoc. Prof. Borislav Tsekov defined the result of the presidential vote as a “national vote of no confidence“ in Rumen Radev and “Progressive Bulgaria“. According to him, the unprecedentedly low voter turnout, the small difference between the first and the second and the failure of expectations for a convincing victory of Iliana Yotova reveal the deep problem with the legitimacy of the ruling party.
The result of the presidential election outlines a serious crisis of political trust in the government of Prime Minister Rumen Radev and the candidacy of Iliana Yotova supported by him. This is the assessment of constitutionalist Assoc. Prof. Borislav Tsekov, who defined the electoral trends as a categorical signal of the depletion of public trust in the ruling majority. According to him, instead of the expected convincing victory that would strengthen Radev's political positions, the election result reveals a completely different reality - the beginning of a process of delegitimization of power.
„This unprecedentedly low voter turnout, combined with the negligible difference between the first and second, is a national vote of no confidence in Rumen Radev and “Progressive Bulgaria“. Iliyana Yotova is a candidate of “Progressive Bulgaria“ and this cannot be concealed. Bulgarian citizens have shown it in a categorical way“, Assoc. Prof. Tsekov told BGNES.
In his words, the development of the election race refutes the suggestions that the victory of the candidate supported by the ruling party is predetermined in advance. Assoc. Prof. Tsekov pointed out that it is precisely the analyses of independent sociological agencies, including “Gallup International Balkan“ and “Alpha Research“, have outlined the possibility of a contested run-off, while pro-government comments have imposed the notion of an unconditional rise of “Progressive Bulgaria“.
“The reality is completely different. What we are seeing is the beginning of the end of the rule of Rumen Radev and “Progressive Bulgaria“, the constitutionalist was categorical.
He emphasized that this assessment is not a hasty political forecast, but a conclusion based on the experience accumulated over the past three decades and on the knowledge of the social and political processes in the country. According to Tsekov, the presidential vote should have served as a convincing re-legitimization of Radev and his political entourage, but instead it showed a weakening of public support.
“Rumen Radev should have been re-legitimized with a convincing victory in the presidential elections. The opposite happened, something surprising for his circles, but completely expected for independent observers: delegitimization of Rumen Radev and “Progressive Bulgaria“, he pointed out.
The failure of the government and the demonstration of force politics
Assoc. Prof. Tsekov singled out the quality of the government as the main reason for the outflow of trust, which he defined in extremely harsh words. According to him, the problem is not limited to the specific election result, but stems from the overall model of exercising power, marked by incompetence, forceful methods and attempts to intimidate the public.
The reality is completely different, he emphasized.
According to Tsekov, the government has received public credit of trust, but their incompetence has led to its rapid depletion. It is this discrepancy between the initial expectations and the assessment of the actual governance, according to him, that explains the political result.
„Bulgarian citizens gave credit to trust, but the incompetence of this government melted this credit in just a few months. From here on, the road is only downhill“, concluded Assoc. Prof. Borislav Tsekov.
The presidential vote is becoming a test not only for the candidacy of Iliyana Yotova, but also for the political sustainability of Rumen Radev. Instead of strengthening the claim for undisputed public support, the election result, according to Assoc. Prof. Tsekov, reveals the limits of this claim and calls into question the ability of those in power to maintain the trust with which they began their mandate.