„The number of people who stand behind the initiative committees of the presidential candidates will not be decisive in the elections. The final result and which candidates will reach the runoff will be important". This was commented by sociologist Elena Darieva on the air of „The Day Live” on NOVA NEWS.
She compared the presentations of the initiative committees of Iliana Yotova and the presidential candidate pair Andrey Gyurov – Georgi Kandev. According to her, the differences between the two teams are already visible and will probably deepen in the course of the campaign. According to her, one campaign is more traditional and official, while the other relies on a more informal and alternative approach. The sociologist expects opponents to increasingly define themselves by opposing each other.
Darieva highlighted several main lines along which the upcoming presidential campaign can be structured. Among them is the opposition of “old versus new“. “Some are the politicians of yesterday, and the others are the politicians of tomorrow. This is a new moment that we will probably see unfold during the campaign”, she commented.
The other important axis, according to the sociologist, will be geopolitical orientation. She also expects serious opposition on the issue of the concentration of power. According to her, Andrey Gyurov's team has already sent a message against the additional concentration of power in the ruling party.
“The President as a corrective – "this will be the other axis of confrontation," Darieva said.
She also expects a clash on the topics of anti-corruption measures and judicial reform.
The sociologist also commented on the presence of many journalists in the initiative committees of the candidates. According to her, the journalistic profession is traditionally close to the political sphere. "Journalists are those who translate the messages of politicians, who build images and make them visible and popular for the audience," Darieva explained.
However, she emphasized that journalists must maintain their political neutrality. “From the point of view of objectivity, in the mission to objectively inform their audience, a journalist must remain neutral, but politically neutral”, said the sociologist.
According to her, value neutrality is different and a journalist cannot completely free himself from his own values and positions.
Darieva expects GERB's refusal to nominate its own candidate for president to further affect voter turnout. “With GERB's refusal to nominate its own candidate, I believe that this problem is deepening and we are heading towards even lower voter turnout”, she pointed out.
According to her, in the absence of a preferred candidate, some voters vote according to the principle of “the lesser evil”. This issue will be particularly important in the second round.
The sociologist also identified as a big unknown the question of which of the candidates will seek GERB's support. “For me, this is the more important question – whether, if there is such a move, it will be in front of everyone or will it happen in the familiar way between the parties inside the headquarters”, commented Darieva.
Darieva also commented on the candidacy of “Vazrazhdane“. According to her, it remains interesting who will be the spokesperson for the so-called “structural nostalgia“ – the political narrative that criticizes the present by idealizing the past. According to her, this trend is noticeable both among the youngest voters, who are just starting to vote, and among older and more conservative citizens.
In the current known candidacies, the main confrontation, according to her, is between Iliyana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov.
The protest season is beginning and we will be reminded of this quite soon – early next week. Let's see how the cabinet will be able to react to these protests, said Darieva.