The vote on June 9 is approaching, the campaign is going on, but what have the parties done this month. Iskra Mihailova, a candidate for deputy from the "Vazrazhdane" party, a member of the Energy Commission in the last parliament, spoke to FAKTI.
- Mrs. Mihailova, “Vazrazhdane“ is among the parties that are competing as a possible runner-up in the vote on June 9. How is the campaign going?
- The campaign is very active for us. Every day we are in a different place and among people. We use the opportunity to hear as many Bulgarians as possible, but also to talk about their problems and solutions. We are faced once again with the problems that exist in small settlements, endlessly dependent on the interests of a few people in local government or local business, and we have to fight injustices every day, be it in a campaign.
- What goal have you set for yourself as a position…
- Party “Vazrazhdane“ she has always fought for the top spot and we will do that until we get it. Any political organization that is created with an ideology should strive for the governance of the country. If the goals are pure, then this is the only way. Unfortunately, in recent decades we have observed a different trend in political subjects - a thirst for power and positions without a drop of thought for Bulgaria and Bulgarians. From “Vazrazhdane“ we believe that it cannot be like this anymore, and this gives us the strength to fight every day with great motivation and support from people.
- Should we expect a new "marriage of convenience" after the vote… Will we again have “state manipulation“…
- Unfortunately, I have to say that everything seems possible to me now. But everyone must answer to the voters and their conscience. From “Vazrazhdane“ we've always been clear and specific with the priorities we've set in each campaign, and we've never deviated from them afterwards. What we think - we say, and what we say - we do.
Our priorities in this campaign are 5 main ones:
1. We continue with our insistence on holding a referendum on keeping the Bulgarian lev as the official currency in our country. More than 600,000 Bulgarians want this together with us.
2. We believe that a referendum should be held on Bulgaria's membership in NATO. Let the Bulgarian citizens decide, because they were never asked about this issue.
3. We believe that we should immediately stop giving military aid to Ukraine and by all means protect our country from being drawn into military conflicts, especially with the risk of sending manpower to the front.
4. The sanctions that were imposed on the Russian Federation brought economic damage to Bulgaria, businesses and the population. This stateless policy in the service of foreign countries, which is not ours, must be stopped.
5. Mandatory renegotiation of the conditions for Bulgaria's membership in the European Union, as well as accompanying agreements such as the “Green Deal”, which destroys our energy sovereignty.
- Posters, records – will this remain as a symbol of this campaign?
- I do not think. People are disgusted by this kind of communication between politicians. I don't even want to comment on these tricks. Responsible behavior requires talking about policies and solutions that will improve people's lives. We should not allow ourselves to deal with the inter-coalition scandals of GERB, DPS and PP-DB, which yesterday successfully distributed portions of power on the backs of all Bulgarians.
- And somehow quietly, the price of electricity rose, and you follow the processes in the energy industry. Is now the convenient time to have an office?
- It will always be a convenient time while there is chaos in our energy and it is sold piece by piece for the private benefit of politicians from GERB, DPS, PPDB or circles of companies around them. Staffing in the sector is on a huge scale, and for a long time we have not been able to talk about national interest, even if we also talk about the management of state-owned energy companies. Bulgaria needs an up-to-date Strategy for sustainable energy development and this must be done as a matter of urgency.
- We will also have a vote for the European Parliament, but it remains in the shadows, as well as the “Green Deal”, which directly affects Bulgaria. Why don't the parties talk about it?
- We – from “Vazrazhdane“, we speak. Since 2019 “Vazrazhdane“ has a clear and categorical position that we express systematically. The green deal is a financial scheme and an absolute fraud that damages Bulgaria at the expense of other countries and the private benefits of certain lobby groups in Bulgaria. One part of them are called “green”, but they are mainly engaged in absorbing huge euro funds, and another part are the well-known political swindlers who use every niche for personal gain - understand all those who ruled until recently.
Coal energy in Bulgaria is a matter of national security, apart from everything else.
At a time when there are military conflicts several hundred kilometers from our borders, the responsible position of every Bulgarian politician should be to have security regarding our provision of electricity. The mining and energy complex “Maritsa-east“ it works with its own resource and a closed cycle of production, which means that it can fully ensure the production of electricity with closed borders and suspended exports and imports.
- NPP “Kozloduy“ loaded American nuclear fuel. Do we already have diversification…
- No. We already have an unclear situation, but at the expense of this, the price is many times higher. Let's see how the plant will work with the fuel and pass all the tests. Another topic is what will be done from here on with the spent nuclear fuel. This question remains open after we cut off relations with the Russians, who were taking it, and now we have a new agreement with the Americans, who will not.