The political space is once again entering a dynamic phase of rearrangement and strategic moves before the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, scheduled for April 19. By announcing the lists, the parties are not just arranging their names, but giving a clear signal about the direction in which they will lead the campaign - through leadership clashes and attempts to expand electoral support, commented "Nova TV".
Sociologist Kolyo Kolev noted that there are no scandalous figures in the lists presented so far. "There are no people who have committed atrocities, the candidates look decent. The presence of Petar Vitanov in Rumen Radev's lists gives an indication that his party will strive for the center-left. Tatyana Doncheva is present in the BSP, which shows that Krum Zarkov is striving to consolidate the left-wing political space in order to get the party through the difficult moment. Including athletes in the lists is an exploitation of their names. The inclusion of Stefka Kostadinova surprised me, it was hard for me to imagine that she would decide to enter politics, "said Kolev in the studio of "Hello, Bulgaria" on "Nova TV".
In turn, political scientist Milen Lyubenov believes that the list of "Progressive Bulgaria" attracts the greatest interest. "It is striking that Radev relies on people who were part of his team in the presidential administration. There are also new faces, not so publicly known, who show expertise. In GERB, for example, the mayors are the big absentees. There is an internal rift going on there, but how serious it is, we will see within the campaign. Borisov announced that Dimitar Nikolov will lead the list in Burgas, but he has apparently refused, and the mayor of Stara Zagora probably did the same. There is obviously tension. Changes in the Executive Committee are expected at the upcoming national conference of GERB, perhaps both mayors will not be part of it. Vladislav Goranov may mobilize a counter-vote in Varna and it is not a good decision, he is still on the "Magnitsky" list, commented Lyubenov.
In turn, political scientist Rumyana Kolarova described the lists of Rumen Radev's party as the most interesting. "They are carefully selected and well balanced. There are prominent athletes and his close associates. There are also several municipal officials among the leaders. It was a surprise to me that Goranov returned to the GERB list in Varna. This is a very special electoral district. Economic interests are strong, and a group associated with Rumen Radev is very strong there. Apparently, some type of confrontation is being sought, and the same applies to the inclusion of Boyko Rashkov in the PP-DB lists. Local support is of great importance. It is mandatory to visit the economic units in the electoral district, it is very important what attitude businessmen have towards the candidates. Each leader of the list must guarantee funding, and it comes from business, Kolarova pointed out.