The Mayor of the capital region "Mladost" Ivaylo Kukurin spoke about pressure - he received a "specific proposal" for his deputy without discussion and arguments. He shared this himself in a post on Facebook, quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio.
"It was a specific proposal - for a specific person, in a specific position. Without discussion of professional experience, without a competition, without a real selection process. It was about appointing a former MP as deputy mayor without discussion and without arguments. And from here the goal became obvious to me: control from within was sought. They wanted "their" person who would guarantee convenient decisions from within. This was not advice. This was pressure", he explains.
Kukurin also commented on the explanations after the National Council of "Continuing the Change" on Sunday that there was no pressure for specific appointments, but rather "suggestions" - in the form of personnel banks, to which the mayors had access.
"Let's be clear: In my case, this was not an abstract list or database. It was not a "personnel bank" - i.e. a selection system," he added.
"And if we have to be honest - such proposals are not made in the name of the municipality and its development. They are made in order to have control over decisions related to public procurement, rankings and company interests. It's about a model. And this model is not acceptable. I refused to be part of this model. And I will continue to refuse. And I will not remain silent about it. Because I believe that people expect transparency, not convenient explanations. They expect integrity - not only in words, but also in actions.
And I believe that it is time for everyone who has witnessed such practices to say it openly. And not to remain silent. Because trust in institutions begins with the truth," Kukurin concludes his post.