In the beginning there was the candidate, then came the people. And between them stood the television studio. This is how every Bulgarian presidential tale begins. Not with philosophy. Not with statesmanship. Not with the great idea for the future. With a candidacy. On October 25, Bulgaria will elect a president. And by September 1, Iliyana Yotova, Nikolay Nenchev, Ivan Hristanov, Georgi Dimov, Alexander Tomov, Radostin Vassilev and Andrey Gyurov had already appeared on the political horizon.
Seven people. Seven visions. Seven promises. And probably seven different ways to save Bulgaria. Except that Bulgaria has not yet decided what exactly it needs to be saved from. But that is a detail.
Politics does not like details. She loves big words that will "take over our souls". The State. The People. Sovereignty. Change. Justice. The Future. And most of all - salvation. Because the Bulgarian presidential candidate cannot simply be a person. He must be an answer - to everything.
To corruption. To the political crisis. To division. To geopolitics. To poverty. To fear. To the past. To the future. If possible - and to time.
And here begins our little political philosophy. They tell us about the person who must overcome himself. Bulgarian politics speaks of the candidate who must overcome all the others. The difference is significant. The candidate must defeat the sociological agency. The superman (philosophically speaking) creates his own values, in our country the candidate creates an initiative committee. The strong man does not wait for approval from the crowd, with us the candidate waits for the polls from Monday.
And so the Bulgarian Superman appears, who has a program. He has a slogan. He has Facebook. He has television appearances. He has a photo with the national flag (under the coat of arms is not an option, it will be interpreted incorrectly). Sometimes there is a party. Sometimes there is not. Sometimes there is an initiative committee. Sometimes there is a general. Sometimes there is a former minister. Sometimes he himself was a minister. And sometimes he was almost everything, except for president.
This is not a weakness. This is a biography. Because in Bulgaria, the political past is not a burden. It is a qualification. The more you have been, the more you can promise that this time you will be different. In general, a person must overcome his past. The Bulgarian politician simply turns it into a pre-election asset.
And here we are in front of the biggest stage.
Iliyana Yotova – the man from the institution.
Nikolai Nenchev – the man with the political and diplomatic past.
Ivan Hristanov – the man from the new political generation.
Georgi Dimov – the man with a general by his side.
Alexander Tomov – the man who has already been in so many political roles that his biography can easily be divided into seasons.
Radostin Vassilev – the man who does not need an interpreter when he speaks against the system.
Andrei Gyurov – the man who enters the battle with Georgi Kandev and claims to offer a new direction.
Many candidates. And each of them, in one way or another, says: “Me.“ (I am the superman)
Not „we“.
Not „maybe“.
Not „we will see“.
Me.
I will change.
I will unite.
I will protect.
I will restore.
I will return.
I will save.
How strange all this is. The person who wants to become the head of state starts with himself. And the state starts with the people. Isn't this a great irony? The superman must overcome the herd, and the Bulgarian candidate must win the herd.
He must speak to everyone. To promise everyone. To offend no one. To be brave enough for some and moderate enough for others. To be national, but also European. To be sovereign, but also allied. To be firm, but also dialogical. To be new, but to have experience. To be different, but to be recognizable. In other words - to be everything.
Superman or supercandidate. So, esteemed audience (people), welcome to the arena of “Circus Neveriaticus“.
By September 22, the list of “I“ may become even longer. Because in Bulgaria there is always room for another savior. Another person who suddenly understood what was wrong. Another one who has a solution. Another one who believes that the people are waiting for him.
In Bulgaria, philosophy is also subject to a coalition agreement - Circus Neveriaticus.
Seven candidates. Seven salvations. One country. And several million potential supermen with the right to vote. The curtain rises, but who will be the only one left in the ring… (a performance most likely in two acts)
Currently announced candidates
Iliyana Yotova – still without an announced candidate for vice president.
Nikolai Nenchev – with candidate for vice president Tsveta Kirilova.
Ivan Hristanov – still without an announced candidate for vice president.
Georgi Dimov – with candidate for vice president Gen. Dimitar Shivikov.
Radostin Vassilev – with candidate for vice president Krasimir Manov.
Andrei Gyurov – with candidate for vice president Georgi Kandev.
Alexander Tomov – the candidate for vice president is to be announced on September 12.