The number of administrative districts in Bulgaria should be drastically reduced from 28 to no more than 5. This proposal was presented by the chairman of the ABV party, Rumen Petkov, during an appearance on the "Eurocom" television program on Monday evening.
The politician outlined the need for a change in the model of agricultural subsidies, criticized ideas for the management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and commented on the political situation before the upcoming presidential elections.
According to the ABV leader, the state apparatus needs a serious reduction, as the public is being misled with "speculative and incorrect" data on the size of the administration. "If we add the regional and deputy regional governors, their drivers and secretaries, we have 200 people," he argues.
In parallel, Petkov is pushing for "extremely serious" reform in the agricultural sector, where, according to him, the production of domestic fruits and vegetables has decreased by more than three times over the last 15 years. The solution he proposes is for subsidies to be paid for actual production, not based on cultivated area. "If we distribute the subsidy per ton of production, I think we will achieve a completely different sense of justice," the party chairman specifies.
Analyzing the socio-political environment, Petkov notes a deterioration in the general atmosphere, pointing to criminal incidents as a symptom of poor governance. "We are silent about the fact that our history is being rewritten, that Bulgarianness is being attacked, that Orthodoxy is being encroached upon," he states, adding that social networks are replacing books in the formation of public opinion. According to him, this environment allows people without a real biography to enter power. "We need representatives from academia, from real business, but in all cases - honest and worthy people who can say what they have done," he is categorical.
In connection with the upcoming presidential elections, Petkov defines Iliyana Yotova as a "clear favorite." "I believe in the sanity of a large part of Bulgarian citizens. "They will not allow the road to Dondukov to pass through Petrohan," the politician commented.
The ABV leader also criticized the proposal of the mayor of Gabrovo for the direct election of heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Gabrovo and other local structures. He defines the idea as "populism", which creates a risk of the emergence of uncontrollable figures in the security system.
Regarding the international scene, Petkov supports the recent meeting between Prime Minister Dimitar Radev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the NATO summit in Ankara. Talks on energy and transport corridors deserve "very serious support", after having been neglected by previous governments, he believes.
The topic of Ukraine was also touched upon, with Petkov sharing the position of US Senator J.D. Vance for Kiev to focus on its own defense instead of attacks on Russia. "I fear that this criminal regime in Ukraine is not capable of leading a sensible policy," he said, criticizing European institutions for funding this "criminal process."