The party established a National Council, reported on its work during the mandate and placed the preparation for the local elections in 2027 among its main tasks
On Saturday, "Save Sofia" held its first National Conference since the establishment of the party in 2023. The delegates adopted changes to the Statute, which establish a National Council as a new collective body in the party's governance, and re-elected Boris Bonev as chairman. He was given a mandate to lead the organization to the local elections in 2027 and to the implementation of the stated goal of putting Sofia on the “track for its development as a model European city“.
Bonev defined the end of the long-standing rule of GERB as the greatest political achievement of “Save Sofia”, but emphasized that this does not mean the end of the necessary changes. “The roots of corruption are deep in the floors of “Moskovska“. Terziev's refusal to carry out an audit of GERB's management and the turnover of his deputies shows us that there is still room for improvement“, said Bonev.
The party chairman pointed out that despite the relatively short history of Save Sofia as a political party, the organization has years of civic work behind it and a consistent cause for the development of the capital. “We are united by a cause – our city to be a good, safe and fair place to live. And this authenticity makes us not only different from everyone else. It makes us loyal to Sofia and close to every Sofia resident. Because we are burning with the problems of this city not only during the mayoral elections“, he said.
Bonev also emphasized the political conclusions of the participation of "Save Sofia" in the government during the current term. In his words, the party must maintain its ability to point out problems and offer solutions, including when they are difficult or unpopular. “If the price of winning elections is to sacrifice our authenticity as a party that says where the problems are and offers solutions to them, even when they are unpleasant, I am ready to live with the mistake of not paying this price. For a party like ours, what has been achieved is more important than election programs full of promises that no one has any intention of keeping," said the chairman of Spasi Sofia.
Bonev also commented on the attempts to place "Sapasi Sofia" in the traditional division between left and right. "They ask us are you left-wing, are you right-wing. How can I put "Sapasi Sofia" in a mold, when we have never been in a mold? Blue and red make purple - the calm of blue and the energy of red. We are a party that seeks solutions to problems, not justifications with ideology," he said.
As an example, Bonev pointed to the state of "Toplofikatsiya Sofia", which he defined as one of the reasons for the ruling coalition leaving Spasi Sofia. He also raised the question of the capital's readiness to respond to serious accidents and crises. “Does Sofia know what to do if the water stops, if there is a major accident or if war comes to our doorstep? Is Sofia prepared?“, he asked.
“Sofia does not need people who always agree. It needs people who know what not to agree with. Whoever confuses an honest “no“ with betrayal, ends up among loyal people and collapsed bridges“, he also stated. In his words, sustainable governance is not built through political unanimity at any cost: “Government is not based on the number of nods, but on the masters and their strong bridges.“
The party took stock of the achievements and the lack of the expected reforms
In the political report of “Save Sofia” Plamena Terziradeva drew attention to the party's disappointment at the lack of some of the expected reforms during the current mandate. She recalled that the coalition with parliamentary parties was also perceived as an opportunity for legislative changes that the Sofia Municipal Council could not make independently.
„The coalition with parliamentary parties was an opportunity to fight overdevelopment, to create a blacklist for companies that build poorly - all things for which we needed partners in the National Assembly. We wrote these bills - we are still waiting for them to be voted on“, said Terziradeva.
The report highlighted as achieved steps the financing of municipal capacity for waste collection and disposal, the digitalization of public transport tickets, vehicle renewal programs and the preparation of projects for local parking lots in the neighborhoods.
„Youth saves“ with ambition for national development
Aleksandar Kosev, the 20-year-old chairman of the youth organization “Youth Save”, also spoke before the conference, setting a goal for its development outside Sofia.
“Young people are the drivers of political processes. When “Save Sofia” was founded, Boris and its other co-founders were my age. Today we are the new generation that will determine what kind of Sofia we want to leave to the next generation,” said Kosev.
According to him, retaining young people should be a central issue for the development not only of the capital, but also of other Bulgarian cities. “Young people are the economic engine of cities. The conversation about what is needed to keep it active should be held before internal migration and long before Terminal 2, he added.
With the changes in the Statute, the election of new party bodies and the re-election of Boris Bonev, "Save Sofia" begins its preparations for the next local elections in 2027, focusing on expanding the organization, developing specific policies for the capital and continuing to work on Sofia's unresolved problems.