The management program of the cabinet of Prime Minister Rumen Radev contains many requests, but there must be concrete steps and clear actions behind them. Political scientists Prof. Rosen Stoyanov and Assoc. Prof. Milen Lyubenov united around this assessment.
In the program "Denyat ON AIR" The two commented on the program through the topics of foreign policy, security, judicial reform and the budget.
Great expectations and the risk of disappointment
According to Stoyanov, the majority of commentators are rather critical and skeptical of the management program.
"This program is filled with appeals, not concreteness. There are no steps, no action plan", he commented.
Lyubenov noted that the program is very voluminous and can hardly be commented on sector by sector.
According to him, expectations for the ruling majority were very high. The government's rating remains high, but according to him, this is also due to the lack of another electoral alternative.
Lyubenov believes that the opposition should think about its actions and create a common opposition entity. Until there is one, according to him, similar election results will continue to be observed.
Stoyanov warned that the lack of results could play a bad joke on the prime minister.
According to him, if there are no clear successes in the medium term, including in the fight against corruption, disappointment could set in very quickly. According to him, the government has a four-year perspective, and there must be a real electoral alternative to it.
Foreign policy and security risks
The two also commented on the information about possible threats from Iran and the reaction of Bulgarian institutions.
According to Stoyanov, information had to come from outside for a reaction to follow in our country, although there was a request from the Iranian embassy weeks ago.
"Every small step in diplomacy, especially in a crisis, when it comes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, must be scrutinized, and not waited for foreign media," he emphasized on the air of Bulgaria ON AIR.
Lyubenov believes that the information about Iran must be approached seriously, as well as the measures that the government will take, since there are security risks.
He recalled the threat of "Hezbollah" in 2012 and the subsequent attack in Sarafovo. According to him, preventive measures and actions are necessary.
According to Lyubenov, there is no direct threat to Bulgaria, since a possible missile would have to pass through Turkish airspace. However, the hybrid and sabotage dangers remain.
Stoyanov also believes that the potential danger is not limited to drones and missiles. According to him, Iran has the ability to act in a digital environment, and the threat is complex.
The expert defined the convening of the National Security Advisory Council as "mandatory".
Lyubenov, however, has a different position. According to him, the CSNS is convened when necessary to reach a consensus and a common position, while at the moment there is an absolute majority, which bears full responsibility for domestic and foreign policy.
He insisted that the services clarify how vulnerable the critical objects in the country are and recommended that they work with NATO and Western partner services. There should not be too much noise and publicity on the topic, because this could create prerequisites for greater vulnerability.
"You cannot act under the influence of Western media. There are services, NATO, the Bulgarian government must have preventive information. What has come out is not news at all," commented Lyubenov.
Stoyanov added that Western media sometimes have more information than ordinary Bulgarians. According to him, there is a lack of proactivity on the part of the state.
"There are no measures, there is no proactivity. We are waiting for something to happen - for a drone to come down, so we can buy anti-drone systems," he said.
Lyubenov also raised a question about the consistency of the cabinet's foreign policy.
"I don't know what our position is regarding Iran. There is no clear position from the cabinet, but we are providing a base for American aircraft," he noted.
According to him, Radev now takes a position diametrically opposite to that before the elections, when he stated that the conflict with Iran was a threat to Bulgaria. Lyubenov described this as "extreme inconsistency".
Stoyanov supported Lyubenov and raised the issue of expertise in the cabinet.
The budget, the battle with the oligarchy and judicial reform
Stoyanov expressed concerns regarding judicial reform and drew attention to the people who are currently advising Radev, as well as to future nominations for the Supreme Judicial Council.
According to him, among them are people who were associated with Ivan Geshev - and this raises the question of what kind of Supreme Judicial Council will be formed.
According to him, Radev could become the person who "hands out the portions in power".
Lyubenov pointed out that governing the state is a pragmatic task and, according to him, it turns out that those in power cannot fulfill the "super-tasks" set.
He also commented on the talk of fighting the "mafia" and "oligarchy", emphasizing that the two concepts are not synonymous.
"What are you left to do if in a month you announce that you have fulfilled the program?", asked Lyubenov.
Regarding the budget, Stoyanov predicts that the deficit will be smaller than planned. According to him, this may allow the government to say that they have done well, but it does not solve the problem with the budget for next year.
According to him, it will be particularly important whether the government will be able to attract valuable personnel.