Peevski is doing the same thing with the state that he did with Dogan's DPS. Mr. Peevski controls many institutions and levers of influence that are not public. Step by step, basic institutions and regulatory bodies are being conquered. Peevski's power is based on things that are not publicly visible, so it is very possible to mythologize him. This was stated to the Bulgarian National Radio by Prof. Dimitar Vatsov, a professor of philosophy at the New Bulgarian University.
We are in a period of political stagnation, in which majorities are slowly and gradually being sought to take positions in a compromise manner, believes Vatsov. One by one, the bodies will be replaced, he predicts.
"On the principle of collusion, the current ruling majority, expanded with Peevski, step by step practically guarantees control over all control bodies."
"The suspicions are that he has already reached out to GERB. The suspicions are that even Borisov is to some extent dependent on him. Peevski could, through attraction, in the same way that people are transferred to his party, in the way that people are bought in local government, this could also happen to GERB, little by little", said Prof. Vatsov.
There is a completely visible degradation in the political elite and frank cynicism and disrespect for the media, citizens, and in general for the interlocutor, he reports.
"Unfortunately, they are an elite only nominally, insofar as they occupy elite positions in a constitutional system. They do not correspond as a human quality, as behavior, to their positions."
In Bulgaria, only when you are in opposition can you be threatened, the lecturer noted.
"And the current actors have always practiced this – when they are in power, to chase their opponents with whom they did not agree. (…) We have had political use of the prosecutor's office and the court many times over the years – during Borisov's rule and now."
According to him, Borisov and Peevski maintain an open-door policy towards extreme nationalists, mainly towards "Vazrazhdane", which is also evident in the "theater" with parliamentary immunities, and Delyan Peevski and the MRF have not stepped sharply into the shoes of the nationalists at any time.
In the program "Politically Incorrect" Vatsov expressed the opinion that President Radev has sharply reduced his potential electoral support by coming up with the idea of a referendum on the euro.
"Kostadinov and company are keeping their electorate. They feel a certain threat. They are keeping the initiative with them so that the president does not take it away from them. It is clear to everyone that we are entering the eurozone. This path has been paved. These protests that are harassing the parliament are theater. This theater is cementing the government. Whether it is intentional or not, I don't know, but no one has the illusion that no-confidence votes will bring down the government, nor the street protests."
For Borisov and Peevski, it is currently super profitable because their main enemy: PP-DB, is devaluing. They are managing to drain the vitality of the urban democratic community and deactivate it, and they are on their way to achieving it. This coalition is currently under very heavy pressure, not only because of the scandal in the Sofia Municipality, but also because it has no initiative. Anti-corruption talk is largely being taken over by the loud nationalists, emphasized Prof. Dimitar Vatsov.
Even if it is proven that Deputy Mayor Barbutov has pursued a similar strategy to the one the recording reveals and if it is confirmed that what is being heard is true, it still will not be certain that this is a party scheme. It is certainly very unpleasant, and Kiril Petkov's resignation was a bad sign - he withdrew too quickly and this can be interpreted as an admission that there was a blunder, says his assessment of the corruption affair in the Sofia Municipality.
He also expressed concerns that if radical populism comes to power, corruption will not decrease, and such populism, according to him, is what is at stake with both Kostadinov and Radev.
The populist discourse attacks all civil initiatives from below - the function of modern populism is to block control both from outside and from below, the analyst pointed out. Radical populism was imported and used by Peevski's media since the time of the protests in 2013, he reminded.
Assen Vassilev may turn out to be the founder of a new type of left, which has not existed in our country for a long time. If we move in this direction, the paths of the PP and DB will diverge, Dimitar Vatsov pointed out.
There is a global trend of retreat from globalization and of closing down in places, and Bulgaria is no exception to this, the lecturer concluded.
"Radical populism is part of this rhetoric. We are somehow slightly caricatured and moderate, including in our nationalism. There is no radical, fascist fervor that is burning in many places around the world right now. Even Kostadinov fails to stage it, and yet through Kostadinov we have the most radical speech."