Fear of the war escalating was used as a tool to influence the elections, said Atanas Atanasov, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and MP from “Democratic Bulgaria”. In an interview with BNT, he accused Russian services of stoking fears around the war in the Black Sea.
“Fear is a very important tool for gaining control over votes in society and among people,” Atanasov said. In his words, the issues involving drones and sunken ships were part of this influence. He said that attacks on the merchant fleet could have had not only military, but also political and economic consequences – influencing the elections, hampering shipping and increasing insurance costs.
Atanasov described the opposition between “war” and “peace” as a successful manipulation by the political forces around Iliana Iotova. According to him, the fears activated pro-Russian voters and suppressed the turnout among pro-European citizens who were worried about the conflict escalating.
The democratic forces were not united enough
Atanasov said that the consolidation of the democratic forces had reached a certain level, but it had not been sufficient for victory. In his words, the opposition formations had not been united “under one banner”.
He clarified that he had not taken part in the campaign headquarters and had not made proposals for the candidate pair. The decision on whether to seek direct support from GERB and the MRF had been delicate, as he believed such a move could have alienated some PP–DB voters.
Atanasov recalled that more than a year earlier he had initiated a meeting to unite the pro-European political forces. A mechanism for selecting candidates had been discussed, including the possibility of internal or primary elections. He said that the appointment of Andrey Gyurov as caretaker prime minister had changed the plans because Gyurov had been perceived as a natural candidate for president.
Criticism of the budget and the election of a new SJC
Atanasov criticised the draft budget and the planned new borrowing. He questioned the purpose of around €3 billion out of the planned €9 billion debt and said that those in power should take responsibility for unpopular measures instead of increasing the debt.
“This is a socialist budget because we have a new socialist party,” Atanas Atanasov said.Regarding the proposed use of funds from the second pension pillar, the MP denied lobbying on behalf of private pension funds. He accused those in power of directing attention towards alleged lobbying interests instead of explaining the measure under discussion.
Atanasov also expressed concerns about the procedure for electing a new Supreme Judicial Council. According to him, the current body should be replaced, but there is a risk that future members will be selected under political influence.
“I have information that the Council of Ministers is directly deciding who should be elected as members of the Supreme Judicial Council, but not only to be elected, but also to be obedient,” he said.
Sources: bntnews.bg