Is there an evolution in the development of “We continue the change“, or is the formation directly linked to Kiril Petkov. What is happening after the arrests in Sofia and Varna… Media expert Diana Damyanova speaks to FACTI.
- Ms. Damyanova, “You don't have handcuffs for everyone“ we hear people chanting on the streets, but will the Ministry of Interior still try to find…
- First of all, let me admit that “You don't have handcuffs for everyone“ is a very good slogan.
- Yes, it makes sense, has a reason and it worked out well...
- Yes, it is artistic and gives a charge. Once we remove that, we can Let's say that the Ministry of Interior has no desire to arrest the entire Bulgarian people. This is on the one hand, and on the other - the entire Bulgarian people are not on the streets. There is no energy that would lead to a real civil explosion, because in Sofia it is clear, but in Varna there are doubts. When there is a doubt that something is not quite right in the actions of these mayors, this cannot lead to these protests that we see in Istanbul. There it is crystal clear that this is political repression. But as we see, when there is a dictatorship, this does not help either.
- What is clear in Sofia?
- In Sofia it is clear that the leader of the party - whatever his name is, gave an instruction to this deputy mayor, whom I do not have the honor of knowing, but as we see - he received an instruction and tried to pass it on, but he met resistance. Is this resistance natural from people who say “no“ to corruption, or people who They feel used, that with their signatures something will be done that they will not touch. These are already deeply psychological profiles that I cannot comment on because I do not know the people. However, it is clear that there is an organization in Sofia and the deal is quite clear there.
The big sponsor of PP-DP was made mayor, and then he was released from his obligations to be a sponsor.
PP-DB - especially PP, are in great need of money because of the large expenses they have, because with them all the money is through the whistle. Many PRs, many social networks are maintained and the money is simply not enough for them. What is more important to say is that when they do such an operation, they do it in the name of goodness and with noble goals. When someone else does such an operation, it is corruption. The assessment is especially important in this situation.
- We saw that Kiril Petkov withdrew after the scandals in Sofia and Varna as co-chairman of the PP. What changes is his move already leading to in the party? Who is the strong man in the PP today?
- I have strong doubts that the PP has the organism to survive without Kiril Petkov, because Kiril was the pillar around whom all this was organized. Between Kiril and Assen there was - I don't know if it still is, but there used to be boundless trust. They professed the rule that in politics “four eyes see better”. As co-chairmen of the PP, they made decisions together on all issues. So the human mass, this mass, which I have repeatedly said is actually one of the reasons for the PP's failures, is because Kiril put various unsuccessful marketers in politics who have no clue about this business and I call them “a large group of Venkosabrute”. In general, these people are all devoted to Kiril Petkov to death and in this sense, what will be the unifying factor between them after Kiril's departure - I cannot know. Assen Vassilev is a laboratory man. He is a man of thought, he can invent an organism - even in a political sense, but someone else must create it. Assen will not have the power to replace Kiril in front of his people, because this party - as far as it exists, is about 400 people who are there because of Kiril Petkov.
- If we go a little further down in the PP's governance - Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev were co-chairmen, and Lena Borislava and academician Nikolay Denkov were among the main figures of the party. Kiril Petkov is gone, Assen Vassilev became the chairman. What role do Lena Borislavova and Nikolay Denkov now have...
- Nikolay Denkov was a very good prime minister in the complex role he played, being alone, but in this "assembly" he looked good. I think Denkov is one of the prime ministers we had in democratic times, who were doing well. Now Rosen Zhelyazkov is doing very well. As for Lena Borislavova, she is a “disaster“ (b.r. – catastrophe, tragedy) in the party. I have said many times that Borislavova is a lady who has achieved political growth in a non-political way. And this always determines her participation.
Lena is an extension of Kiril Petkov.
I don't know what will happen to her now that Kiril Petkov is gone. Actually, it's good to say here that I don't know to what extent Kiril is gone from the party. He may only be gone in the official part, and many things can be discussed as before with Asen.
- But still, the opportunities you have when you are in the party are one thing, and when you are outside - are different...
- The PP is not a party - it is a family. Kiril Petkov was the “padrefamilia“ (b.r. - father of the family). While Kiril Petkov embodies the “padrefamilia“, this family will be united around him. Whether Kiril Petkov will be able to transfer his influence so that these people who are unconditionally loyal to him will also be so with Asen Vassilev - I do not know. It is simply that the loyalty of these people to Kiril Petkov is one of the problems of this party. Being loyal to the grave, subordinate to the grave, experiencing spiritual, physical and all kinds of enthusiasm for Kiril Petkov, they do not become what a party should be. Namely, to be corrective, to have a second opinion, a third opinion, people who ask questions, who want and seek a solution. We saw from the leaked recordings how Kiril Petkov offered them one, second, third time and in general they voted until Kiril's decision passed. Now who will be the new Kiril, I don't know. Will the party be able to gather the strength to cope without Kiril...
- “We continue the change“ in 2021 and now. What is the difference, what path did the party take?
- It is difficult for me to say what path the PP took, but I know that I took the path of the illusion that some unprepared but good people, who practically do not have any skills, people who do not know how, but have the desire, can be thrown directly into politics. This illusion turned out to be false. And this is my greatest pain.
When this minority government was formed - PP-DB, BSP and ITN, I expected that the learning process would begin.
The elections were won by the enormous enthusiasm that was given to the people, and this enthusiasm had to be clothed in competent knowledge. People had to view politics as a profession, as a science, as an art that politics is. But this stopped somewhere in 2022 and from then on it was simply clear that the people's illusion did not come true.
- Let me take you back to the arrest of the mayor in Varna. How do you view what is happening, because you know Blagomir Kotsev very well. Do you see anything specific in his case?
- I took Blagomir Kotsev to Kiril Petkov's office. It doesn't sound good to me and I don't want Kotsev to get involved in any way, because that would be a personal disappointment.
But how can I say it - power is a terrible lure, a monstrous lure.
Only those who are morally awake, but also those who are placed under very great control, can resist this lure. In fact, this is the meaning of the party. It must keep its people, choose the best of them, and people must fear retribution when committing a crime. All this is absent in Bulgaria. Honesty is left in the hands of one's own morality, and this morality sometimes gives deviations.
- It gives defects, as they say...
- Yes.
- What has KONPI become and how is it used. We no longer have a special court and a special prosecutor's office, but... - Kiril Petkov's vision was to do something as an alternative to a special court. We are closing a special court, but we are doing something alternative as a commission. This KONPI commission was conceived in sin, born in sin and exists in sin. This is what we have seen in recent days.
And it is very, very strong evidence that in Bulgarian politics some play beach belote, and others play bridge, and at a world level - I am looking at Delyan Peevski.
He is currently applying one of the best and most subtle elements in bridge to them - “end Play“. This is a moment when every move you make, every card you play, is to your detriment. This is exactly what we are observing - an ongoing “end Play“, in which he gives you back your hand, and you still have to perform an action that is against you, that hinders you and is to your detriment. Now Peevski is getting them into this with “let's close KONPI“. The height of political intrigue, because they have no right move left. If the PP say “we're closing it“, they will be accused of ruining their own thing. And to this we add that the existence of KONPI is tied to money from the Recovery and Resilience Plan. In this sense, Boyko Borisov is right that things are so tied that if we close KONPI, we could suffer severely financially. So the PP must solve this problem for themselves. If they do not support the closure of KONPI, they are following Peevski's scenario. He gives them cards in the game and tells them: “Play“ And PP, whatever card they play, they play it wrong. In this case, we have belote versus bridge. This is the situation.
- Sarafov's remaining at the head of the prosecutor's office. Just a gap in the legislation or are laws written this way on purpose so that there is a “new option“?
- Let me say that the heads of the "assembly" Delyan Peevski, Boyko Borisov, Kiril Petkov and Hristo Ivanov carried out the entire operation to remove Ivan Geshev. And this was done because Ivan Geshev had suddenly become revolutionary.
That's how Sarafov was created - after some agreements of theirs to eliminate Geshev.
But they simply lack legal thought. Legal thought in the PP is a real nightmare, which is very much related to the question you asked me earlier about Lena Borislava, because she is at the top of the pyramid of legal thought. Otherwise, the PP will not admit the mistake, but will continue to insist that the reading made by the prosecutor's office is wrong. I spoke to lawyers, but it turned out that two lawyers had three opinions on the issue - whether Sarafov could stay at the moment, or should he leave.
- The truth is that if this had been included in the transitional and final provisions about the “stuck situation“, now there would be specifics that would not allow him to stay…
- When you are incompetent to even make a law to remove someone you consider an enemy, this is what happens.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the PP are just some beach bums who are scheming and accumulating, but without much vision for the future, and in politics much more is required.
In politics there are very complex scenarios that require planning actions in the long term, and not just planning for tomorrow. Now you see how Atanas Atanasov comes out of the PP-DB and says that he wants to close KONPI. Then others from the PP-DB come out and say: “We will not close it, because we will lose money…“ These people are simply confusing society in every way, and in this way support is being lost. If there is an actual census at the moment, we will see that the PP-DB has really shrunk to its hardest core, which I don't know if it is about 100-150,000 people.