The GERB-SDF group in the Sofia Municipal Council (SOC) categorically condemns the arson of the car and the attempted arson of the home of the mayor of Bistritsa Samuil Popov, committed in the early hours of February 16, 2026. Attacks against mayors are not only an attack on the person - they affect institutions, local self-government and the democratic order. Differences in positions are resolved through dialogue and reason, not through pressure and fear.
This was written by the group's leader Anton Hekimyan on "Facebook".
According to him, this is not an isolated case - in July 2025, two masked men with batons broke into the city hall in Bistritsa, looking for the mayor, but the perpetrators were never identified. The recurrence of incidents raises a serious question about the preventive mechanisms for protecting officials, Hekimyan points out.
He stated that they cannot allow violence to become a means of pressure on representatives of local government.
Attacks against mayors are not just an attack on the person - they affect institutions, local self-government and the democratic order. Differences in positions are resolved through dialogue and reason, not through pressure and fear, the group's leader added.
GERB-SDF calls on the Ministry of Interior and the competent authorities for a quick, objective and thorough investigation, identification of the perpetrators and application of the full severity of the law.
Protection of the public interest, security of citizens and the normal functioning of local government should be the main priority of the entire society and all political parties, GERB-SDF stated.
Yesterday around 1:30-1:40 a.m. a signal was received that the car of the mayor of Bistritsa, Samuil Popov, had burned down, and the front door of the house was also damaged, the Ministry of Interior told BTA.