There will be elections, but no rotation has been reached... The service cabinet will have the powers of the regular government. What to expect in the next weeks of work of the parliament… Political scientist Prof. Milena Stefanova spoke to FAKTI.
- Prof. Stefanova, we have proposed a new type of office. For whom it is convenient and for whom – no…
- Yes, the official cabinet is formed in a new way. When they adopted the changes in the Constitution, they hardly imagined how soon the procedure would have to be tested in practice. I cannot understand and accept as normal the departure of the PP-DB from the consultations with the president, because the conversation again revolved around the personalities of some ministers. They could say politely and reasonedly whatever they wanted to say.
But to just screw up and walk away without hearing what other people think is not only rude, but also wrong.
The thesis “If we do not have our people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of e-Government, then the elections are unfair” is untenable. Such behavior destroys statehood and institutions. The behavior of the BSP, which did not respect these consultations at all, is similar. It is not correct to talk about the convenience or inconvenience of the proposed office for one or the other. This is what the president's chosen candidate for caretaker prime minister found, this is what he proposed. And it is impressive that he sought people with experience, balanced the composition of the government, ensured continuity and took responsibility. History remembers cases in which a minister from a service cabinet then remained so in a regular government. And the reverse is also not new. In addition, the caretaker government will also operate under the conditions of parliamentary control, which is also happening for the first time. To control it!
- President Radev distanced himself, but said he would sign a decree. Is there another move?
- President Radev constantly points out that he fully complies with the Constitution. Some young politicians and researchers find it normal for the president to refuse to sign a decree appointing a caretaker government because the PP-DB does not like it. Yes, but the Constitution does not state that the official cabinet is appointed after reaching a consensus, but after consultations with the parliamentary parties and coalitions. The consultations were held simultaneously with everyone and I welcome this choice of the President. As they accepted the texts, let them now comply.
The president found at least one of the “home book“ who took it upon himself to form a cabinet.
Glavchev drew it up and announced it within reasonable time. The president gave until Monday evening if there are changes in the composition to notify him. And on Tuesday he will issue a decree with the composition proposed to him. All other situations are the result of unhealthy and unacceptable expectations. Refusing Radev to sign the decree means taking sides in a dispute between political parties and violating the Constitution, which charges him to be a unifier, not a divider, of the nation.
- The name of Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov, who remains, caused scandals. Will we have fair elections guaranteed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs?
- It is not the Ministry of the Interior that makes elections fair or unfair! To claim this is sheer nonsense! The Ministry of Interior can serve as a guarantor that no compromises will be made with vote-buying schemes of parties and corporations. And from us – citizens, it depends on whether we will succumb to pressure from some parties. In local elections, bought votes always carry more weight – with fewer bought votes you can win the mayoral seat. In parliamentary, and even less in European elections, controlled votes cannot have much impact. Of course we should get out and vote our conscience. I leave the disputes in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, customs and services without comment. It is too soon, there are still many unanswered questions, and the behavior of the resigned Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov is unacceptable!
You can't say publicly that according to rumors that have reached you, something is happening there. This is a scandal! So you cannot become prime minister.
Or you were not the real one, but the fake prime minister.
- In the office of "Glavchev" there are powerful political figures. Is this good or not?
- I personally do not see a single strong political figure. Everyone has their professional biography, which at some point has put them in the sights of one party or another. It is more correct to talk about whether or not there is a commitment along party lines. There is/was one with Minister Gvozdeikov with PP. Prominent party cadres, however, I do not see. It is important that they are not tied to any mafia circle.
- What campaign are you expecting. It is clear that the vote for the European Parliament will be on the back burner…
- If at all we witness a European campaign in every sense of the term, it will be a miracle.
The campaign will be dirty and muddy.
Except this time the "GERD and DPS are bad" mantra won't work. When you've "put it together" and worked together, even if only for 9 months, you no longer have the excuse of being clean and unblemished. My advice is that they address the real problems of state government and stop with populist talk and actions. Fewer props for candidates to repeat like parrots, often without understanding them. Also, if any formation tells us how it sees the role of Bulgaria in the EU after the European elections, it would be a manifestation of responsibility and overcoming the childish in our current internal political life.
- "Blue Sofia" grew into the association "Blue Bulgaria" (Vili Lilkov, Petar Moskov). New other political players are you expecting?
- There will be new entities that will appear in the left space, and in the right, and in the patriotic wing. All of them will be some type of coalition formations, insofar as there is no time for the emergence and imposition of a brand of a new political party, and there is no prominent charismatic leader, as was the case with the NDSV, for example. The frustration of ordinary voters is so great that there are niches.
The right one is too blurry right now,
no matter how much they try to personify the right with GERB-SDS and PP-DB, both coalitions do not fully meet the definition of right. Neither with their programs nor with their actions as rulers. I carefully read the address of the leaders of "Sinya Sofia" (let's recall that they appeared in the elections in the Sofia Municipality as a coalition of parties COD, Democratic Action - D3 and BDF) and they are represented by three municipal councilors in SOS. It is quite possible and for me it is expected that others will join these parties, so that in the upcoming elections there will be a wider coalition already under the name "Blue Bulgaria". So far, these formations are the only ones that talk about Christian values and conservative behavior. Such a niche undoubtedly exists.
Processes are also taking place on the left that lead me to think that this time the BSP will not be able to spread its wings over numerous formations that enter into a coalition with this party, but their voice is lost somewhere. The newly formed Buzludzha movement is one such possibility. Information has appeared that there will be another left-wing list, besides that of the BSP, for the European elections. Well, we'll see what happens there.
The already announced movement "Bulgaria can", identified with the face of Kuzman Iliev, is actually something like VMRO, but in a different way. It will try to gather "patriots and capable Bulgarians". To what extent and how a new patriotic bloc or union would form remains to be seen.
- Borisov said that even if GERB and DPS have 150 deputies, the two parties will not rule together. Why?
- His words were that they will not govern only the two parties together, and this gives another reading of what was said. We understand that DPS is a possible partner for GERB, but in a broader coalition. Let's remember that according to a decision of a GERB congress, there is a clear position that joint coalition actions with BSP alone are not allowed. Since Borisov's words were on the occasion of accusations made by the PP-DB, it is also clear from what was said that the DB and to some extent the PP are a more desirable partner than the DPS. In fact, DPS has been a factor in the country's governance for many years. And this circumstance makes him a possible participant in a coalition government. But due to Delyan Peevski occupying the leadership role, on whom a very negative image is drawn from the "Magnitsky list", from the inheritance from Dogan with the "circles of companies" and other things, they make a not entirely acceptable coalition only with DPS. And this is valid not only for GERB-SDS, but also for other political players. Objectivity demands that I note that DPS quite often has a more rational political behavior than PP, for example.
- And after the fog, again fog. Is this what we should expect after the vote on June 9...
- I hope the weather is clear and sunny. With temporary storms and showers. But politically, it will be hot, as long as coalition government is doomed. As of today, GERB-SDS, PP-DB and DPS are again expected to be the players who can form the government of the country. However, everything depends on the election results, which are determined by us, the voters. Let's see if any of the new entities that come forward will not spring a surprise and become a possible coalition partner of one of the "big" powers. But whatever the results, a coalition will govern Bulgaria. It is imperative that this coalition be formed according to the rules of politics and not be two players who grab each other's throats at every challenge. A balancer would help with more normal handling.
- Should we be afraid anymore when we hear that a party will do "Constitutional reform"...
- The Constitution is the basic law. It should not be changed often, much less the changes should be made piecemeal, the texts should be written on the knee. It is not a question of fears of parties that declare some Constitutional changes. Such requests must be approached carefully and their content can be an indicator of how serious and working for the public interest the parties in question are. Unfortunately, we have not seen this competence and seriousness in recent changes. We have a very flawed legislative process. And here I mean the process, not the content of the amendments. And I rather worry about what legislative actions and decisions will be taken by the parliament, while the deputies are working in the heated pre-election situation.