Nearly 100 young members and sympathizers of the Youth Union of the Bulgarian Socialist Party from all over the country gathered in Stara Zagora to participate in a Youth Discussion on the Future of the Left in Bulgaria and the Manifesto of the Left Forces “Socialism of Our Century“. The event was held on the eve of the traditional gathering of the BSP and the left under Mount Buzludzha and focused attention on the role of young people in the development of contemporary left-wing policies.
The forum was opened by the chairman of the Youth Union of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Gabriel Valkov. The official guest was the chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Krum Zarkov.
In front of the gathered youth, the leader of the left stated: “We, the left, do not claim to be the only ideology, but we have faith in ours, which is different from the others and we are obliged to present it and defend it, and to fulfill our mission – to provide an alternative to our people. It is this that we present in our manifesto“.
He emphasized that the philosophy of the left is embedded in the draft manifesto – solidarity as an alternative to competition, a society of equality as an alternative to societies of deep inequalities, a system of peace as an alternative to war.
Zarkov emphasized that the goal of the left, also embedded in the document, is the protection of workers. “Young workers who enter the labor market are put under particular pressure. No one tells them about the protection to which they are entitled. They work without working hours, who are constantly in a work environment, on the phone, in front of the computer and reach burnout. These are the people we need to turn to.“, he also said. According to him, the Manifesta is open to finding the necessary support to achieve our goals.
“The future is not waited for - it is created. That is why it is important for young people not only to be part of politics, but to have the courage to set the direction, propose solutions and stand up for the causes they believe in. Today's discussion shows that our generation has energy, ideas and readiness for this responsibility“, said Gabriel Valkov.
During the discussion, the participants discussed the main ideas set out in the Manifesto of the Left Forces “Socialism of Our Century“, exchanged views on the challenges facing the left-wing political space in Bulgaria and presented their views on its development in the coming years.
At the end of the forum, the young participants summarized their ideas and proposals for the development of left-wing policies, which will be presented and discussed within the framework of the upcoming initiatives of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Youth Union.
The discussion marked the beginning of a series of conversations through which the young socialists will continue to formulate their priorities for the future of the left in Bulgaria.