Why did the BSP lose its public trust? Dr. Sabina Petkanska in front of FACTS

Continued...

- Between 5.3% and 7.1% gave the BSP sociologists at the start of the campaign… How can you not like this? Why did it come to this?
- BSP got here for many reasons, the most important of which are:
-- we can start as early as 1997 from Videnov's administration, when the BSP tried to oppose the economic reforms in Bulgaria and this led to hyperinflation and great impoverishment, collapse and bankruptcy of banks, suspension of work of many enterprises, strong public dissatisfaction and the fall of the BSP government under the pressure of public protests. The public authority of the BSP after the rule of Kostov and the Tsar was gradually restored. And BSP returned to power through the Triple Coalition between BSP, NDSV and DPS.
-- the second and most important reason for the loss of public trust in the BSP is the management of the BSP during the Triple Coalition with Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev, who was also the chairman of the BSP. Why? Because the governance of the Triple Coalition has become a symbol of corruption in Bulgaria. For many years the “Batko and Bratko“ could not be forgotten and BSP could not clear its image of a corrupt party.
-- for a third reason, mistakes and unused opportunities during the management of GERB can be accepted. The BSP remained well as the only opposition and alternative to GERB, but the BSP failed to fully modernize itself, it failed to change its way of conducting internal party life, of selecting and developing its cadres. The BSP failed to adopt a style of developing the able, not the obedient. It failed to adopt a clear program for the development of Bulgaria, which would be an alternative to GERB. The BSP failed to break with the nostalgia of the past and become the party of the future.
All this was understood by the people and the progressive part of society in Bulgaria, but they did not recognize BSP as an alternative to GERB. Logically, new parties like “Vazrazhdane”, ITN, PP and others appeared, which collected public hopes. And they could and should have been collected by the BSP, if the party had made the necessary internal transformation and real renewal after the Triple Coalition, while it was in opposition to GERB.
-- the fourth reason for the weak public rating of the BSP is the position of the BSP after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Despite the strong Russophile sentiments in the country, Bulgaria has changed a lot in the last 30 years and 70% of Bulgarians turned out to have a pro-European orientation, although a large part of them are Russophiles and love the Russian people and culture, but do not accept Putin's authoritarianism. And only 20% turned out to have a pro-Russian orientation, who accept Putinism and the authoritarian development of Russia in recent years.
-- the fifth weakness of the BSP was the strong opposition to the Istanbul Convention, the opposition to the PES and the beginning of the process of turning the BSP from a leftist into a patriotic party.
BSP seems to have lost its political image and from a social democratic pro-European party, as it was intended to become by Lilov, it failed to transform itself and remained somewhere between the past and the present.
-- the sixth mistake and weakness was that the BSP initiated the restoration of paper voting and the abolition of machine protocols. This, on the one hand, re-established the BSP's reputation as a party of the past, and on the other hand, allowed easier manipulation of election results. Manipulation that reflects badly on the BSP as well.
-- the seventh reason for the weak rating of the BSP is the senseless, illogical and harmful opposition to the new leadership of the BSP. The former deputies of Ninova against Ninova and the expulsion of Ninova from the BSP. Thus, the BSP became a party that excluded all its old chairmen – Videnov, Parvanov, Mikov, Stanishev were kicked out and Ninova. Instead of the party taking advantage of their knowledge and experience, using them even as advisors through some council of elders, they were… banished.
But despite the predictions that the BSP will be the last party represented in parliament, if the BSP finds the strength to initiate the necessary bold reforms - against the background of the failures in the PP and the lack of an alternative on the left, I am convinced that the BSP has a future.

- How were the BSP lists arranged in Sliven…
- The first place among the candidates for people's representatives is not offered by the municipal and regional organizations. The first place is reserved for determination by the National Council (NC) of the BSP. This is one of the BSP's major weaknesses. This is a practice that makes democratic practices in the party non-existent rather formal.
For a long time, the BSP in Sliven has had one representative each, and so practically the other seats in the lists for representatives are auxiliary to the first and there is not much interest in them, there are no confrontations and intrigue. The leader was determined by the National Assembly of the BSP, and the next seats were determined by the regional council based on nominations from the primary party organizations.
- We also heard the leader of GERB, Boyko Borisov, alluding to joint work with the BSP after the vote… How do you feel about this?
- This is one question that can be answered after several other questions have been answered, such as:
-- what are the BSP's views on dealing with the problems with corruption, what path does the BSP see as the right way to deal with the problems in Bulgaria in the last literally 35 years.
-- what is the foreign policy position of BSP. Whether it is for strong integration of Bulgaria into the EU or not. Even the attitude towards the war in Ukraine is important.
-- how the eventual future government will be formed. Will it be GERB, will it be coalition, will it be programmatic, or something else.
-- BSP must take into account the fact that Borisov changes his opinion three times a day.
Here it is important to gain experience from the disassembly!!! After the seventh election in a row, the wars around us, the situation in North Macedonia, the predictions that the BSP will be the last party represented in parliament, the upcoming election of the chairman of the BSP… All this makes the situation very, very complicated whether BSP should participate or support a future government in which GERB also participates.
If the BSP somehow supports a government in which GERB dominates, the fate of SDS, Volya, VMRO and other former coalition partners of GERB will most likely follow.

- But more and more people are hearing that we should have a cabinet. How is it possible...
- That's right. On the other hand, Bulgaria cannot do without a government in this difficult internal and international situation. On this issue, more specifically, an opinion can be expressed after the results of the elections and the positions of the leading parties such as GERB and PP-DB.

- What choice are honest and honorable socialists faced with and why should they still want to support the party?
- This question applies to all Bulgarians who want the prosperity of Bulgaria. For all members of all parties who want the development of Bulgaria, prosperity, democracy and a good life for their children. This question also corresponds to the question of why Bulgarians do not vote, why only the hard cores vote, who often have some personal benefits from the parties they vote for.
In order to know what kind of choice honest, respectable Bulgarians are faced with, whose only goal is the prosperity of Bulgaria in order to increase electoral activity, the political class owes it to society and many changes must be made, such as:
-- to amend the Law on Political Parties and prevent them from becoming personal projects and authoritarian organizations
-- to change the Electoral Code and to have some majoritarian element in the elections, so that the people's representatives and municipal councilors can work for their voters, and not be loyal to their party bosses
-- reforms in education
-- health care reforms
-- reforms in local government
-- even changing the Constitution and through a Great National Assembly to balance the independence of the authorities – legislative, executive, judicial,
media and local
-- The BSP and Bulgaria are in a very difficult situation, and therefore the upcoming elections and the decisions after the elections will be extremely important for the future not only of the BSP, but also of the country
-- I hope for the wisdom of all of us - voters, media, politicians and the rulers of the country, so that we can finally stop this 35-year trend of decline and find a way for constructive relations, modernization and prosperity of Bulgaria.