The political parties in Bulgaria have abandoned one of their main functions by not daring to nominate their own candidates for president. This position was expressed by the political scientist from “Gallup International Balkan“ Prof. Rosen Stoyanov in the program “The Live Day“ on NOVA NEWS. He commented on the initiative committees behind the candidacies of Iliyana Yotova and the tandem Andrey Gyurov - Georgi Kandev, GERB's decision to remain without its own candidate and the political moves of Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
According to Stoyanov, the initiative committee of Gyurov and Kandev has gathered more people, but there are no particular surprises among the names. According to him, the political circles around the PP, “Yes, Bulgaria“ and DSB have largely closed themselves off in their own circle of like-minded people in recent years.
The political scientist also drew attention to the presence of university professors and representatives of academic circles in the initiative committees. He pointed out that there are intellectual circles around the candidacy of Gyurov and Kandev, who publicly emphasize its non-partisan nature. Stoyanov, however, reminded that the presidential post is inherently political, regardless of whether the candidate is nominated by a party or an initiative committee.
In his opinion, he defined the circle of people who stood behind Iliyana Yotova as wider, where there are representatives from various public and political circles, including those associated with GERB. According to Stoyanov, such “opening the fan“ is logical in presidential elections, since victory requires support that significantly exceeds the solid party electorate.
The political scientist's most serious criticism was directed at the parties that did not nominate their own candidates. “I categorically blame the political parties in Bulgaria for betraying their voters, their sympathizers and their solid electorate. The majority of them did not dare, they were afraid to declare a party candidacy“, said Stoyanov.
According to him, in recent years there has been a trend towards erasing the traditional division between left and right and towards a continuous search for compromise candidacies. He reminded that Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic in which the party system is a fundamental part of the democratic process.
According to him, political forces should start creating a wider circle of recognizable cadres and leaders, instead of everything being concentrated around the party chairman. Stoyanov believes that one of the reasons for the lack of strong party candidacies is the fear that a successful candidate for a high state post could subsequently become an internal party competitor of the leader.
According to Stoyanov, if Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev reach a runoff, it would be a political mistake for their initiative committee not to seek a conversation with GERB and the other formations from the right and center-right space. “Not before the first round, but before the second, it would be political stupidity for the initiative committee not to want a meeting“, he stated.
The political scientist emphasized that it is not a question of the candidates “walking on their feet” or to ask for support, but to hold a political conversation with the formations whose voters could prove decisive in a run-off.
According to him, GERB cannot be ignored because of its membership in the European People's Party. Stoyanov believes that without a clear position of Boyko Borisov and other right-wing leaders towards their own voters, the forces of Gyurov and Kandev may prove insufficient to win in the second round.
Stoyanov outlined two possible explanations for GERB's decision not to participate with its own candidacy. The first is that the presidential institution has never been among the most important political goals for Boyko Borisov. According to the political scientist, local government is far more important for the GERB leader.
According to him, Borisov is aware of the lost positions at the local level and currently needs to consolidate the party before the next local elections. Therefore, it may not make political sense for him to enter a presidential race if he considers that its outcome is predetermined.
The other possibility, according to Stoyanov, is that the decision is part of a longer-term tactic - for GERB to wait for the ruling party to make mistakes and for internal contradictions to arise between them, from which the party could subsequently take advantage.
The possibility that Prime Minister Rumen Radev will undertake changes in the cabinet due to ministers who fail to implement the expected reforms was also discussed.
According to Stoyanov, Radev has a tendency towards clear subordinate management and will not hesitate to dismiss a minister if he deems that he is not fulfilling his tasks.
However, the political scientist expects possible more serious changes to be undertaken after the presidential elections. “He just has to cross this Rubicon for him - the presidential elections. So he will be patient for a while. And then he will most likely start“, predicts Stoyanov.