“How can we impose the policy of the BSP, how can we strengthen the influence of the party in society, how can the BSP become the strong voice against inequalities? The meetings with you, the members and supporters of the party, throughout the country give rise to ideas on how to make this happen. I am very interested in the conversation with you about the future of the BSP and Bulgaria, because it is genuine, honest and meaningful.“ This was said by the Deputy Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Kristian Vigenin at his meeting with members and supporters in Blagoevgrad, the city named after the party's founder Dimitar Blagoev.
„After the last elections, we took a breath of air and this is largely due to the unification of the left that we achieved. However, the coalition must develop, it is necessary to work even more on common left policies that are actually measurable as a result with actions – "This is the only way we will attract left-wingers to Bulgaria," Vigenin noted.
For the Deputy Chairman of the BSP, the party's participation in government must be justified by including the BSP's priorities in the government program, which is yet to be developed. "How people will view us depends on how we have set and implemented our goals. The first indicator is how left-wing policies will be included in Budget 2025. We are categorically against cutting social spending and incomes of various groups. "People cannot bear the burden of budget restrictions," commented Vigenin. He pointed out that there are ways to fill the hole in the budget: "We proposed to tax the excess profits of banks, it is not clear why this idea was not adopted." The candidate for chairman of the BSP recalled that the socialists have included progressive income taxation in their program, because the flat tax no longer has a useful effect: "The progressive tax guarantees more justice in society - it is right that people with higher incomes have a greater contribution." Christian Vigenin specified that he would insist on a review of the revenue part of the budget and that more options be sought for filling it. “We have many good ideas in the program “100 solutions for the development of Bulgaria“, I hope that at least some of them will be included in the government's management program“, he added.
“It is necessary to create a working and clear mechanism for control and accountability of BSP ministers to the party's bodies, and dependencies should not be allowed, despite the temptations of power“, said Vigenin. According to him, the issue is not for a few people to receive positions, but for the socialists to implement their policies. “Let's show that we bear our responsibility. We need to make efforts to make this government useful for Bulgaria“, he urged.
Regarding the upcoming election of the BSP chairman, Kristian Vigenin noted that he sees nothing worrying about the fact that there are 17 candidates for the position: “If they have ideas for the development of the BSP, I am open to discussing them. The many candidates are an indicator that there is energy in the party. The future chairman must extend a hand to all who want to contribute to its development.“
“We need to return collective decision-making in the party to a greater extent. In recent years, there has been a retreat from this principle and this has led to bad results. Collective reason gives better decisions. We need to involve local structures more actively. For example, we can create a council of regional chairmen to give opinions on upcoming decisions“, suggested Christian Vigenin.
The Deputy Chairman of the BSP once again called for more opportunities for the development of young people in the BSP, but also for a strong bond between the experienced and the young, because this makes the party even stronger.
Before the meeting, Christian Vigenin and the chairmen of the BSP municipal councils in Blagoevgrad, Veselin Hristov in Sandanski, Mladen Timchev in Petrich and Novko Popov in Petrich, laid flowers at the monument to Dimitar Blagoev.