The Chairman of the Youth Union in the BSP and leader of the list of “BSP - United Left“ in the 23rd MIR - Sofia Gabriel Valkov, together with BSP youth and young candidates, held an action under the title “Basket of Reality“ in front of the Council of Ministers building.
The action sharply raised the issue of the sharp increase in the price of basic food products and the lack of effective government measures to control the price pressure on households.
The participants presented a basket of basic food products – bread, eggs, yellow cheese, cheese, oil, rice, beans, flour, vegetables, sausage and others, with a total value of 55.20 euros, purchased earlier in the day from a large retail chain in Sofia. The demonstration aims to show the real purchasing power of Bulgarian citizens on the eve of the Easter holidays.
„We gathered here, right in front of the Council of Ministers, because it is the caretaker government that currently bears the responsibility for controlling prices – responsibility that is clearly not being fulfilled“, said Gabriel Valkov.
He stressed that it is unacceptable that Bulgarian citizens can afford only the most basic products with 50 euros, without even including basic goods for the festive table such as meat, kozunak or fresh milk. According to him, this is in sharp contrast to the levels of the minimum pension in the country, which remains just over 300 euros, as well as to the poverty line, below which over 1.4 million Bulgarians are currently struggling to survive.
The “BSP – United Left“ point out that a quick and adequate institutional response is needed to the price pressure, deepened by the international situation with fuels and geopolitical crises, as well as by weak control over the domestic market.
Gabriel Valkov recalled that “BSP – United Left has submitted a specific package of measures to limit the increase in fuel prices and related prices, including the adoption of the Anti-speculation law, the introduction of a temporary price ceiling in the event of sharp market shocks, increased control and counteraction to speculative markups, and a reduction in VAT and excise duty on fuels.
Vulkov reminded that some of the political forces in the National Assembly failed to discuss these proposals due to a lack of quorum at the extraordinary session on April 1, convened at the initiative of the Bulgarian Socialist Party - OL. At the same time, the caretaker government, according to him, is taking foreign policy actions without the necessary public and parliamentary debate, instead of addressing immediate socio-economic problems.
With their action, the BSP youth demanded immediate, clear and effective measures to protect Bulgarian citizens, especially vulnerable groups who are most affected by the rising cost of living.