The MP from "DPS – New Beginning" Kalin Stoyanov has issued another sharp criticism of President Rumen Radev, this time because of the size of his motorcade during his visit to Varna. The criticism comes just a day after the political conflict between the two on the topic of state-owned properties with no longer necessary.
"Rumen Radev's motorcade is worthy of a great dictator", Kalin Stoyanov wrote on Facebook, accompanying the post with a video of the presidential motorcade in Varna. According to data from various sources, the motorcade consisted of seven to eight cars - four limousines, two jeeps, one minibus and a police car, accompanied by three police officers on motorcycles.
President Rumen Radev visited Varna on August 10 to participate in the ceremony of conferring the first officer rank to the cadets of the class of 2025 of the Higher Naval School "N. Y. Vaptsarov". According to eyewitnesses and media reports, the motorcade blocked key streets in the city, with traffic stopped in several areas at once.
"While he and his courtiers race along the boulevards and intersections blocked off by the police, the residents and guests of the city of Varna wait patiently in the 40-degree heat," Stoyanov said.
The former interior minister compared the president's behavior to that of a dictator, highlighting the contradiction between his public image and his actions. "This is a man who explains insistently that everyone is abusing power except him, while proudly cruising a large regional city with a motorcade of four limousines, two jeeps and a minibus", the MP wrote.
According to Kalin Stoyanov, "there are only a handful of presidents worldwide who top the charts for the most protected individuals", adding that after what happened in Varna, "President Radev could easily take the top spot among them".
The criticism of the motorcade comes as a new development in the conflict between Stoyanov and President Radev. Just a day earlier, the MP from "DPS - New Beginning" accused the head of state of "populist and untruthful speech" on the topic of state properties that are no longer needed.
So far, neither the presidential institution nor the National Security Service have commented on Kalin Stoyanov's criticism. Media outlets note that the motorcade probably included Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Defense Chief Emil Eftimov, who also attended the ceremony at the naval school.