At the moment, the campaign is running quite fragmented, each candidate is running the campaign from his own track. However, I believe that there should be a dialogue between the candidates, there should be debates so that voters can assess how they will present their vision of the presidential institution and what policies they intend to implement. This opinion was expressed on Nova News by political scientist Assoc. Prof. Milen Lyubenov.
According to him, one of the reasons the contenders for “Dondukov“ 2 to avoid debates is for fear of making “gross mistakes“, especially the favorites.
“I don't see any insistence on a debate, but there will most likely be one before the runoff“, predicts Assoc. Prof. Lyubenov.
Regarding the topic of rakia, the political scientist said that even the ruling party itself failed to explain this issue well enough to the public, which, according to him, shows a lack of a good communication strategy.
“The topic found quite a serious public response and such storylines can in one way or another affect the public image of a party or a government“, he noted.
Regarding the 2027 budget, Milen Lyubenov expects serious tension between the ruling party and the opposition. According to him, whichever government is in power, sooner or later it will face problems that will lead to a loss of trust and electoral turnout.
When asked what assessment he would give to the “Radev“ cabinet based on the country's previous governance, the political scientist pointed out that so far no significant reforms are visible, given that “Progressive Bulgaria“ has a majority in parliament and should undertake reforms, but there are none yet.
“The fight against corruption, the rule of law and judicial reform, which were promised during the election campaign, at least for now, remain only decorative statements“, said Assoc. Prof. Lyubenov.
Regarding the murder of Iliyan Filipov, the political analyst said that when there is a change in power, such murders have always happened.
“Which shows the close connection between the individual criminal structures and politics. The question of decriminalization of governance is raised again, but for this there must be political will and effective institutions“, he commented.