Bulgarians must choose not only between Yotova or Gyurov, but they must choose between the past and the future for the development of the country.
This was stated to the Bulgarian National Radio by Andrey Gyurov - former acting prime minister and now a presidential candidate.
"The people's expectation is for a secure, stable, modern Bulgaria, an expectation for a president who can be independent and can say "no" to the executive and legislative branches, who can protect their interests and take an active position in favor of Bulgarian citizens. I believe there is a chance, because the decision is in the hands of the Bulgarians".
According to him, the president has enough authority to be able to provide the long-term vision for the country's development and to be a corrective to the government when the state deviates in one way or another depending on the change of majorities from its long-term goal. According to him, the president has a strong influence. He can also assist in decision-making in the state with the expert potential he has in his team, as well as with the opportunity to be the voice of the Bulgarian citizens, without being tied to a party, added Andrey Gyurov and expressed his opinion that it is very important for the president to bring balance to the country's governance, to set the direction and to be the voice of the Bulgarian citizens.
I do not need more power to accomplish these things, he was categorical. According to him, a situation in which power is concentrated in only one hand during a caretaker government often leads to not very good developments:
"I don't think this is a particular problem at the moment in the Constitution. Of course, one can think of some addition to the list of choices. But overall, I think that the powers are sufficient so that the president can best protect the interests of Bulgarian citizens".
"Now I see some developments that are worrying. We see that a multi-layered policy somehow always looks to the East", the presidential candidate noted and explained:
"When we have to protect the Bulgarian national interest, we save Russian oligarchs and KGB agents from sanctions. If protecting these sanctioned oligarchs is a Bulgarian national interest, then we need to think about whether we have a clear idea of what Bulgaria's interest is.
"In the last two terms, we saw that the institution was somewhat left out of public life and only appeared with criticism and attacks on certain political forces," commented Gyurov on the program "Nedelya 150". According to him, the approach should be proactive and actively seek discussion in society and with the parties in order to find a common path and a common goal. If then no agreement is reached, then proceed with a veto and refusal to sign within the framework of the powers, he believes and added:
"We should not sit on one side of "Dondukov" with a veto in hand and wait so that we can stop a process, but we should actively seek dialogue. There are enough formats, enough expert potential in the presidential institution for these conversations to be held in a timely manner, to be put in the focus of public attention. The president has a very strong voice, given to him directly by the people, and he must use it to be able to focus attention on problems, seek common solutions and demand from other authorities a responsible attitude within the framework of their powers".
The president must comply with the law first and foremost, and by law the Advisory Council must convene every 3 months, Andrey Gyurov also noted. According to him, there are too many topics on which the public expects to know that the state has a plan and can be calm, that the necessary measures have been taken so that major crises do not occur, he was categorical and gave an example with the topic of fuels. According to him, the geopolitical situation and the one in the energy sphere are important enough to convene the CSNS.
"These conflicts are external to our country, but this does not mean that we should wait for the consequences with our heads buried in the sand. This is like driving a Ferrari and looking only in the rearview mirror. We must expect what will happen, have a developed plan in different situations and be ready to activate this plan. First, we must have clarity about what the situation is, which requires active dialogue between the various institutions. Then, based on the information received, a plan must be prepared. This plan should not speculate on how the crisis will develop, because this does not depend on us, but we must have a plan for every possible development of this crisis".
The former caretaker prime minister recalled what was undertaken at the beginning of the crisis in the Middle East and the planned measures to help vulnerable groups. This is not helicopter money that does not change market behavior, but only translates into inflation, he specified. And about the work of the current government in this direction, he emphasized:
"Better some measures than none. Maybe too late and waiting for the situation to develop, but still better late than never. I would not do many things this way. The budget, as adopted, does not allow for any buffers for crisis response. It is overstretched, with a huge deficit. What do we do if this crisis escalates, and we need additional measures. Such a buffer does not exist in the budget".
Regarding the way the election campaign began - on the one hand with the "Petrokhan" case, and on the other - the pardoned drug lord, Andrey Gurov pointed out that there was a lack of dialogue.
"This government came with requests to deal with prices, to dismantle the model and to fight corruption, and what we see now is not only the same staff of the previous model, but also the same rhetoric - rehashing the same topics pre-election, with suggestions, without empathy for the deceased, for their relatives. I do not think that this contributes to the public dialogue. Press conferences without any information, which instead of providing clarity and certainty, for me have a harmful and vulgar effect on the conversation. I do not think that such a press conference helps to restore authority and trust in Bulgarian institutions. This is something that the Bulgarian president should have as a priority - restoring trust in institutions. The other priority - the presidential institution must be active and close to Bulgarian citizens. This must also be outside the campaign, in normal life.
"We are looking for a broad democratic unification of all free-thinking Bulgarian citizens who expect a secure, stable, independent Bulgaria that looks forward," summarized the presidential candidate.