Author: Vildan Bayryamova
"It is dead, no leaders are coming, there are no messages and promises for a better life, and now the campaign is at its end, as if we were gifted with timelessness," says a teacher from a village close to the regional city. She always voted for DPS, but now she is confused like many others: "Bastion Li, he went to heaven! Now people are convinced that Peevski gave the money for the repairs of sidewalks and streets and they believe – they will vote, but more out of fear of losing their jobs and businesses," says the woman, who wished to remain anonymous.
Why Dogan's people protested
That we are once again facing parliamentary elections is evident only from the abundant posters and billboards in all possible places throughout the city and the settlements on the territory of the municipality. It is so, because the mayor of Kardzhali, Erol Myumyun, is the leader of the "New Beginning" list. of Delyan Peevski and the campaign products are almost exclusively of this party. This is also the case in the municipalities of Chernoochene and Jebel – mayors are also at the top of this list. The only billboard with Ahmed Dogan's portrait lasted no more than three hours on a neighborhood street, but not in the city center. It is said that he was taken down by order of the mayor of Kardzhali.
About 60 people have lost their jobs in the municipal administration in Kardzhali and the structures connected to it in less than a year. When the rift in the DPS began, quite a few people were thrown out, as they claim - for no reason. Among them - an employee in pre-retirement age, a director of a day care center for people with mental disabilities, a children's teacher, a young man from the regional library and more, and more. And this is apparently only because of their family ties to prominent activists from Dogan's faction. Deutsche Welle sources in the country report businesses being attacked and pressure to vote for a “New Beginning” of Delyan Peevski.
Pressure and vote trading
In the village of Zvezden, a middle-aged man put up posters campaigning for DPS-Dogan. He and his assistant were summoned to the police to sign a warning protocol because they were carrying out illegal activities. At the same time, groups of underage kids are walking around Kardzhali, knocking on the doors of homes, sources told Deutsche Welle. “How many people live here?“, “Who are you going to vote for“, “We came to tell you to vote for #8, this is the future“ - so the 14-15-year-old boys “surveyed“ or rather agitated.
On a pre-election tour in the village of Enchets, the mayor raised a scandal with the PP-DB group and tried to expel the candidates for deputies, and a guard threatened them with a physical assault. They called the police, who, however, arrived after an hour – although the distance from the regional town to the village is no more than 10 minutes by car. The prosecutor's office refused to investigate the case, reported the PP-DB headquarters.
For pressure from mayors who obeyed the “New beginning” of Delyan Peevski, many complain, mainly in the villages. They are afraid of being photographed and given their names, but they say that they are threatened with refusal of aid and firewood if they do not vote “correctly”. By the way, they signal the same thing from the other camp. Otherwise, the police reported yesterday that in the course of the specialized operation against vote trading, 34 sites were checked.
Renovations in Kardzhali – “with Peevski's money“
For some time in the regional city, sidewalks are being repaired, streets are being repaved, and the local people are ecstatic. However, it was suggested to everyone that the funds were personally provided by Delyan Peevski. Even the repair workers claimed the same in response to Deutsche Welle's questions.
Actually, this tactic turned out to be the basis of the entire election campaign of the faction in question. It is a fact that the mayor Errol Mümün and leader of the "New Beginning" list. promised a new look for the city and the settlements of the municipality. And during the campaign, at all his meetings, he talked about how the promises were fulfilled.
Money from the state budget for the Kardzhali region
„Before the national municipal program of our government, in which we allocated BGN 85 million to the district, there were almost no repairs and improvements. During the four years of the Borisov-3 cabinet, shared with Peevski, the state allocated only BGN 850,000 for the entire Kardzhali region, i.e. 100 times less, said former Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov in Kardzhali. Former finance minister Asen Vasilev specified that in the municipal investment program for 2024 developed by the PP-DB government, 50 million BGN is provided for Kardzhali alone, and 17 streets are now being repaired with them.
DPS-Dogan closed its campaign at the stadium in Momchilgrad, which turned out to be cramped for the people who came. Asked how, in the absence of a subsidy, they managed to cover the costs of the campaign tours, chairman Jevdet Chakarov answered succinctly: "Very modest, difficult and with donations”. Tonight and “New Beginning” will put the point of his pre-election marathon in the center of Kardzhali – with a concert by Azis and Galena.