„We know too little about the facts that led to the midnight arrest of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev. We see a systematicity and consistency in the anti-corruption commissions. There is a selectivity in persecuting representatives of the opposition in both Sofia and Varna, and soon in other cities probably. Corruption is mainly in the executive branch by definition. We have seen this anti-corruption institutions being used as an instrument of political repression. Representatives of power should not be spared by these bodies“, said Atanas Slavov, MP from "Continuing Change - Democratic Bulgaria" on Darik Radio.
„We currently have no question regarding the stability of the coalition. We are not discussing the split of PP-DB. There are several goals that have brought us together in this coalition, and one of them is justice and the rule of law, and the second - anti-corruption, as well as deep integration into the European family. We fulfilled this by entering „Schengen“ and the eurozone. What unites us is that we turn to our democratic community and the people who have always been the engine of change towards our transatlantic and European partners“, he also said.
„From „Democratic Bulgaria“ we have developed a principled position and it is that we will not support votes of no confidence until September. We follow the stated positions. Don't expect news from the DB's behavior during the vote of no confidence on Friday," said the PP-DB MP.
„We had a discussion at the PG level, but the strong position at this moment is when as a coalition we initiate a vote of no confidence, and on policies. We are not thinking of supporting votes of other parties. They may also be called “Nearby country“, but the goal is mobilization against Bulgaria's accession to the eurozone“, Slavov said on Wednesday.
„We should congratulate ourselves on Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone, we who have supported the political forces that have led us to European integration over the past 20 years. Our admission to the eurozone is a great national success! We are already in the heart of Europe. And the government, no matter how critical we are of them, the goal was achieved. The “Zhelyazkov“ cabinet joined the final stage, but these were important 6 months. The efforts of the PP-DB led to the point where the topic of the eurozone was back on the agenda“, said the MP.
“The goal of some of these formations is to keep us on the periphery of the EU and leave loopholes for Russian influence in the region. From their point of view, the eurozone is a problem. There is no precedent for a country to have left the eurozone. There is a mechanism for leaving the EU, but not the eurozone. To leave the eurozone, you also have to leave the EU. Let “Velichie“, “Vazrazhdane“ and MECH come out and say that they want to take Bulgaria out of the EU and join it to BRICS or the Eurasian Union.“
“Bulgaria received a qualified majority to enter the eurozone, and we usually needed it. This means that the main European political families support the deep integration of Bulgaria into the European Union. The integration process is based on a fragile consensus. The important thing is that the pro-European forces have a huge majority there, and also in the Bulgarian parliament. It is important that the European consensus is preserved in the Bulgarian parliament, and in society“, commented Atanas Slavov.
“I admit that the lady (b.r. Rada Laikova) is probably a rising star on the political scene. She supports her party, and I do not find her actions, as well as those of her party, to be in the national interest, but on the contrary. Let us just clarify that according to the current law of the Criminal Code, damage to the EU flag and our national flag is criminalized. I hope that the authorities will take action based on the acts committed. This will not be the first case in which supporters of “Vazrazhdane“ commit criminal acts“.
“We are part of Europe as a result of our sovereign decision. Our path of development has been reaffirmed over the past 27-28 years, when we turned clearly and categorically towards the West. The vast majority of Bulgarians will declare that they want their country to be in the EU, and it goes with the eurozone“, said the PP-DB MP.
“The biggest problem is that we change laws often. When it comes time to comply with what is written, we find loopholes. There is institutional cynicism in Bulgaria! Borislav Sarafov remaining acting as Prosecutor General is illegal. The law states that an Acting Prosecutor General can only be for 6 months. And the Supreme Judicial Council says – no, we will not apply these norms. If you want to know how long Sarafov will remain Acting Prosecutor General, ask Borisov and Peevski“, said Slavov.
„If this cabinet wants to stay in power, it can stay. It is even incomprehensible why some of the institutions are taking ostentatious actions against the opposition. If Borisov and Peevski are looking for a reason to resign and go to elections, only they know. We know that Borisov wants to be prime minister and Peevski to have control over state resources. Is it good to go to early elections? There is no easy answer, because the state must be governed. In order to achieve nationally significant goals, the state must be governed. I cannot analyze the nature of the relationship between Borisov and Peevski, because it is about the redistribution of a huge power resource, which does not only go through legal channels. A rift between Borisov and Peevski is possible, a quarrel is always possible for one reason or another“, said Atanas Slavov.
“Entering the eurozone is a plus and it is not only for the “Zhelyazkov“ cabinet, but for the governments of recent years. There are individual bills that we support, which were worked on by several teams. There are things that can be supported and we support these things. I do not think that the overall assessment of the cabinet is very high and very positive“, Slavov told Bozhidar Rusev.