The leader of the "Vazrazhdane" party; Kostadin Kostadinov and MEP Petar Volgin, who are entering the battle for "Dondukov" 2, announced their intention to initiate referendums on Bulgaria's membership in NATO and the European Union. On the air of NOVA, the candidates presented the main highlights of their upcoming campaign, declaring themselves in favor of restoring Russian gas supplies and sharply criticizing the positions of their main political opponents.
The choice of candidates
According to Petar Volgin, the direct elevation of the party leader for president is a sign of political courage, and hiding behind independent committees is an attempt to escape responsibility.
„With the election of Kostadin Kostadinov for presidential candidate “Vazrazhdane” showed maturity, because a formation that believes in itself elevates its leader”, Volgin said on the program “Hello, Bulgaria”.
The process of determining the pair went through a wide consultation within the party structures. The initial list of 27 names was reduced to five before reaching the final choice.
“The biggest deficit of Bulgarian politics is that people are never asked, except during elections, but even then the choice is somehow predetermined”, Kostadinov pointed out.
Criticism of opponents
The leader of “Vazrazhdane“ denied having any points of contact with the politics of Iliyana Yotova, giving for example, its positions on the war in Ukraine.
„If a person changes his opinion in politics within a few months and it doesn't matter what he said before, this is a very unpleasant principle. It can be summarized as follows: „don't look at what I do, listen to what I say”. This is exactly what is different between us and others – we have never changed, even for a second, our views and causes”, Kostadinov was categorical.
According to the candidates, Bulgaria's national ideal should be the search for complete independence. Petar Volgin expressed the opinion that over the past 30 years the state has been completely dependent and the goal of the formation is for politicians to be accountable only to their voters.
Energy and foreign policy
The issue of energy security is also key in the candidates' platform. On the issue of Russian natural gas and coal plants, Kostadinov gave Hungary and Slovakia as examples, which managed to negotiate exemptions from European sanctions.
„Our national interest requires that our population live well. How will they live well if we receive expensive energy sources, which we are told are expensive but democratic, while Russian ones are cheap but toxic?”, the leader of „Vazrazhdane” asked rhetorically.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, Kostadinov reinforced his position, which diverges from the official international reading. „This is not Putin's war. This is Poroshenko's war against his own people, which has grown into Zelensky's war against his own people”, he concluded.