Arresting people based on accidentally leaked recordings and testimonies from random ardent supporters of Peevski-Borisov is an outrage that is expected from authoritarian regimes, not from European Bulgaria. By Daniel Smilov.
Bulgaria's entry into the eurozone, which is definitely a great success for the country, was overshadowed by the rampant repressive dystopia of the officialized Peevski-Borisov tandem. The crackdown on the PP moved from Sofia to Varna, where, based on dubious testimony, state authorities arrested the mayor himself on suspicion of corruption.
In the first act of the events that unfolded on July 8, Borisov delighted Bulgarians with an edifying, angry and at times rudely arrogant press conference, from which it became clear that Bulgarians should thank him and Peevski for membership in the common currency zone. That this boasting is exaggerated is clear - after all, for 12 years of rule by the governments of Borisov and Peevski, Bulgaria was quite far from the eurozone and its standards. Only in 2012-2013 did it have a real chance of entry, but the policy of "lean pizza" brought people to the streets and led to a series of ominous self-immolations. Peevski's appointment to the State National Security Agency threw the country into a political crisis in June 2013. And in 2014, Corpbank went bankrupt, which was not a natural disaster, but something for which the Peevski-Borisov tandem bears at least partial responsibility (especially through one of its hypostases). After that, only at the end of 2024 did Bulgaria manage to meet the Maastricht criteria, and this happened with budgets drawn up by Asen Vassilev and voted with different majorities (in some of them with the participation of GERB).
After the defeat of the APS, it was the turn of the PP
Boasting is not a mortal sin. However, using lies, manipulation and hidden influences to directly harm your neighbor is. The Peevski-Borisov tandem has been guilty of this mortal sin for a long time, but let's still focus only on the last year. During it, the so-called anti-corruption commission took action against Dogan's APS and the PP on a scale that was previously unknown. Known and unknown mayors and members of the Dogan Party (the authentic MRF) were publicly forced to renounce their political beliefs and join Peevski's "New Beginning". The climax came with the betrayal of the APS leader Dzhevdet Chakarov himself (and apparently Dogan himself), who, under pressure from the services and the prosecutor's office, waved the white flag.
After the APS debacle, Peevski-Borisov turned to the PP and are currently playing out the same scenario in Sofia, Varna, Dobrich and other places. Few have any doubt that this is a frank and unjustified state repression against the PP and the coalition. But the fatigue from elections, the certain disappointment among PP-DB voters, the dominance of DPS-GERB in the media and the unprincipledness of a part of the Bulgarian intelligentsia, which seems to think that by presenting different cases as the same, they measure with the same yardstick. Thus, many pishman "righteous" claim that the transgressions of PP-DB (if there are any at all) are the same as those of Borisov-Peevski. Ergo, conveniently for the real scoundrels, someone claims that they were all scoundrels.
The situation is not comical. Repressive dystopia is a severe pathology that goes beyond commercial phrases like "conquered state". The state may be conquered by private interests, but the use of services and judicial bodies for repression against a political opponent is a step towards dictatorship and is fascist-like behavior. Arresting people based on accidentally leaked recordings and testimonies from random ardent supporters of Peevski-Borisov is an outrage that is expected from Putinist and authoritarian regimes, not from European Bulgaria.
The new vocabulary of the repressive Peevski-Borisov tandem
Every dystopia begins with systematic lies and changing the meaning of words. Here are parts of the new vocabulary of the repressive Peevski-Borisov tandem. The words - as in Orwell's "1984" - actually mean the exact opposite of their standard meaning:
"Anti-Corruption Commission"
This is actually the "Anti-Opposition Commission" - a bludgeon against political opponents. Peevski-Borisov were willing to lose billions from the recovery and sustainability plan just to keep the current leadership of this institution in office. Now they are saying they will re-elect him with a simple majority and guarantee control over repression in the future.
"Investigation into corruption"
There are actually no investigations into real corruption in Bulgaria, or they start but end with nothing. The bags of money for "Hemus", the 500 million gambling scam, "The Eight Dwarfs", the drawers of money and the house in Barcelona are either lying around or the investigation and prosecution still do not find enough evidence on them. For example, it became clear that Vasil Bozhkov regularly went to Vladislav Goranov's office with millions in his pockets, but from there the traces of this money mysteriously disappear. In all the listed scandals about Peevski-Borisov, the witnesses against them are actually being investigated and arrested… if they are even arrested. Borisov was indeed illegally detained for one night, but this happened after no real investigation of his actions had been undertaken for more than two years. With far weaker evidence, the mayor of Varna and the deputy mayor of Sofia were actually immediately arrested. And after Boris's arrest, there was practically no effective and convincing investigation into his scandals. On the other hand, Kiril Petkov is being investigated for Borisov's arrest, which is a curiosity.
"Without Peevski, there is no eurozone"
The truth is that without Peevski, there is no Borisov. The eurozone could easily have done without Peevski, either with PP-DB or with APS as a coalition partner. But these competitors and alternatives are actually repressed, precisely so that Peevski becomes politically inevitable.
"Magnitsky List"
This is actually a commendable list of active fighters against the rule of law in Bulgaria. Being on it and being close to Peevski-Borisov becomes the highest certificate of political quality in Bulgaria. One part of the Peevski-Borisov tandem is directly on the list, and the other is figuratively stated that Vasil Bozhkov "briberized a current party leader". The possibilities for interpretation here are severely limited and logically come down to one. But it is not spoken in the otherwise free public space.
However, the fictional reality behind the new words cannot be forcibly imposed on people. No one has come to love the Peevski-Borisov tandem, nor has anyone believed the spells of their anti-opposition bluffs. These politicians certainly have a loyal clientele and even in the case of Borisov - a kind of fan base. But the vast majority knows what they are talking about and has not forgotten the true meaning of the word. The question is whether the tension between words and reality does not explode in a direction that could threaten the country's European path. A fake pro-Russian opposition, Orban admirers, grandiose and reborn nationalists occupy their niches in the public imagination. But at some point, if there is no real, European opposition to the repressive dystopia, these niches may unite under a common flag as a strong anti-government vote, which is inevitable. And then things can really get out of control.
Therefore, European-minded people in Bulgaria must send a clear signal to Peevski-Borisov that they will not allow them to turn the country into their own dispossessed fatherland with an authoritarian flavor. And to defend and strengthen meaningful alternatives to reasonably indefensible, but arrogant and strong dystopias.
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This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author and may not coincide with the positions of the Bulgarian editorial office and the DV as a whole.