November 10, 1989, is a turning point in Bulgarian history, but it is not a day that should be celebrated. It is a date that should be commemorated and analyzed because the changes that followed did not live up to the hopes of a large part of Bulgarian society. Disappointment with what happened during the transition is also the main reason why the anniversary has gradually lost its place in public life. Prof. Iskra Baeva, who appeared alongside Prof. Dimitar Denkov, said this to Lili Marinkova in the “FAKTI” studio and on the “Conversation” program.
“A date such as November 10, 1989, is a turning point. There is no doubt about that, because from then on transformations began in Bulgaria that completely changed the country. If we have to compare it with something, we should compare it with September 9, 1944, or March 3, 1878. Because in one case the state was re-established, while in the other it underwent a fundamental change. I am a contemporary of these events and a participant in these processes; later, I gradually gravitated toward the Bulgarian Socialist Party and its leadership, so I can speak in the first person singular about those events,” Prof. Iskra Baeva said.
Baeva recalled that in the first years after the changes, November 10 was commemorated ceremonially, with representatives of various political circles taking part in the celebrations. Gradually, however, this tradition faded. According to Baeva, the reason lies in the discrepancy between Bulgarians’ expectations and reality after the beginning of the transition. “The fifth anniversary was celebrated ceremonially. And after that, this tradition gradually, gradually faded. And in my opinion, it faded for no other reason than that what happened after November 10, 1989—which all of us, all the more politically active people, had hoped for—did not happen. Gradually, what was happening began to differ from the hopes of the 1990s. In the 1990s, after the elections, more than 90% of Bulgarians took part because they wanted change. Both sides wanted change, but in different ways. Now so few people take part. In the second round of the presidential elections, 28%,” she commented.
Prof. Dimitar Denkov also expressed the opinion that November 10 should not be perceived as a holiday. He emphasized the events of November 9 and 10, 1989, and the role of the party leadership in removing Todor Zhivkov. “I also think that November 10 is not a day for celebration. Fixation on dates directly confuses common sense. Even before November 10—on the 9th, specifically—Todor Zhivkov submitted his resignation from the Politburo, while on November 10 a meeting of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party was held, at which this was formalized within the party as a whole,” Prof. Dimitar Denkov said.
Watch more from the conversation in the VIDEO.