„I have always thought that when the issue comes down to the distribution of portions in power, the government will fall and these days have come. The first signals of this are the changes in the regulators. A parliament elected through fake elections, a government - fake, formed by lying to the voters - cannot produce anything useful. They have reached the point of physically reaching out to each other, spitting on each other. This is the bottom, against the background of the deep crisis that continues in the country“.
This was stated by the leader of „Unruly Bulgaria“ Cornelia Ninova in the show “Delnitsi“ on "Evrokom" TV.
According to her, Borisov is increasingly confused. “He said that this was not a GERB government, he had only given the mandate. So, this is not the studio apartment to rent to the BSP and ITN? He did not know Temenuzhka Petkova, she was not his finance minister. In the end, he will say: “Is she here in the room with us“, as psychiatrists ask. Obviously he has a problem, in his style he starts to run away from responsibility, to distance himself very early. Obviously the geopolitical change is affecting him badly – he cannot easily take the turn, the ideology that he has supported 100% until now. The other day I heard him say that GERB was the conservative party. That you submitted the Istanbul Convention for ratification to parliament? And suddenly he became conservative“, reacted Ninova.
And in response to a question from the presenter, she added: “They are not pushing him to change the flat tax – they are pushing him for regulators, for ministers and for positions, the way this government was born. It was born only to distribute power“.
In the conversation about the people's agenda and the budget: “Real measures are not being taken for the real problems, for the deepening of the crisis, this government is pro-crisis. Many people hoped that the regular government would bring stability, security. On the contrary – it deepens all crises every day – prices, budget. March will be – the state has no budget. Worse, however, are the intentions that were expressed in the draft budget. It does not solve the most important issue – economic growth. We need a very specific and solid plan for the economy, because this is the key to the development of the state. The situation is even worse in terms of income“, commented Cornelia Ninova and pointed out:
“What is increasing? Electricity, heating, water, gas, food prices, social security for working people, local taxes and fees, vignettes, VAT on bread, excise duty on cigarettes and alcohol. The salary of an MP is increasing by 800 leva per month, salaries in the Council of Ministers by 30%.
What is being frozen, i.e. decreasing with this increase in prices? The minimum wage for the next 3 years, the benefit for raising a child – maternity, for 3 years, the benefit for unemployed people, money for assistants for people with disabilities. You saw what a joke they tried to make with pensions – did not pass because there was a reaction“.
In her words, the poor, pensioners, young families and children, working people – they are the ones affected. “The privileged – the political elite, if it can even be said to be an elite“.
Asked why this imbalance has come to this, Ninova replied: “Because they don't care about the people. With what morals and heart do MPs raise their salaries by 800 leva per month, their salary becomes 10,000 leva. And at the same time, they go out on all televisions and cry that we are in a terrible crisis, that there is no money, that we have to cut expenses. Now, someone will probably say: she was also an MP, and she took it. I have submitted proposals to the parliament 4 times to reduce the salaries of MPs and to freeze them. My MPs at the time in the BSP hated me for this. Naturally, no one reacted at the time, because it's easier that way," she pointed out.
„Yes, there is a bloated administration, I have given examples in your studio too - for water, for example: in 5 ministries there are directorates that deal with dams and water. And what is the result of this - water became 6. 20 leva in Razgrad, it is not available for half the year, its price is rising, the quality is poor and poisons people. And 5 administrations in 5 ministries are dealing with this. Naturally, the administration also needs to be corrected," said Kornelia Ninova.
She emphasized that in addition to the social side, which affects the poorest, the fact of raising the debt is worrying. „Let's say that the deficit is 6 billion leva, 4 billion are old debts, they become 10. What are the other 7 for – 17 billion is the new debt. No government has had such a jump“, said Ninova.
And when asked what to do, she replied: “Let them go, let the people react, let them be rebellious. There is another way of development, another path, there is an alternative. I don't like to show off, but in this case I will say it: when I was the Minister of Economy and as Deputy Prime Minister I was responsible for both the economy and social policy: maternity increased, free kindergartens, free nurseries, 30% of pensions, the minimum increased, money for people with disabilities increased. First place in industrial growth and under 3% deficit in the state. Well, then it is possible. If you know and can do it. That's why I say – "There is an alternative," said the leader of "Unruly Bulgaria."
Kornelia Ninova was categorical: "Unfair budget, inadequate government, incompetent and fixed only in power and positions."
In the conversation about the economy, she emphasized: "There will be more revenue as the economy develops. Bulgaria must determine the sectors that it can develop, for which it has the resources, the personnel and the market. In my view, this is the economy, industrial production and especially now - based on high technologies, on artificial intelligence, there is such fertile ground for this. Agriculture - to restore agriculture, tourism. These are sectors in which we are good and if we focus there, it will have an overall effect on the economy." And he gave an example:
“Let's take agriculture, because the topic of food and retail chains is currently relevant - I am in favor of a price ceiling, of markups, I have introduced such proposals. But this is a temporary measure. We need a strategic vision to solve this problem. And that is the development of agriculture. First, the restoration of “Irrigation systems“, because without irrigation there is no agriculture. Second, the subsidies, from the grain fields, where they are given the most, should go more to vegetables, milk and meat. The supply chain should be shortened by building six large state exchanges in the six development regions, where producers would have direct access, to offer their products without resellers. I am in favor of having state chains and competing on a market principle through competition with private retail chains. But, there should also be state ones, where such markups are not made, where there is no need for a bag tax, a birthday tax, and the hands of Bulgarian producers are not twisted“, said Cornelia Ninova, recalling: “It was my law for retail chains to sell a certain percentage of Bulgarian production – 30%“.
In her words, it can be done, but it requires will, strategic thinking, and consistent steps. The control bodies should be in place, the institutions should work.
Asked about the VAT for restaurants, she said: “In my opinion, there should have been zero VAT on bread, because that gives an effect, and 20% for restaurants. Because that measure for reduced VAT for restaurants was a temporary Covid measure, they were closed then. It is fair that they returned 20% to the restaurateurs and super unfair that they made 20% on bread“.
In the political conversation: “I believe that “Unruly Bulgaria“ will be realized, because every day there are reasons for the people to react“, said Cornelia Ninova.
She announced that on Thursday an Initiative Committee for the establishment of the party had gathered – 73 people, a Statute and a Founding Declaration were adopted. “We have put in first place the struggle that I have been leading for the last 10 years - with this backstage, with the parallel and controlled state, the establishment of the rule of law, the preparation of a comprehensive national doctrine that encompasses the main ideas for the development of the state for years to come“, pointed out Cornelia Ninova and emphasized:
“I find in the ideology of Vasil Levski many things that should be in today's, contemporary politics. 152 years after his death they have not been completed“, she pointed out and gave examples:
“Democratic Republic“ – is democracy what we are looking at? “To be equal to other European nations“ – well, we are not. His understanding of the rule of law – that we should all be equal before the law. Well, we are not. The judicial system is in a state where, if you are close to power, you are unpunished. There is no forgiveness for a chicken, there are no laws for millions. Its entire ideology in a modern version can be a wonderful basis for political intentions and for struggle - to be rebellious and move forward. Because there is an alternative“.
About the BSP congress in response to questions in the studio, Kornelia Ninova pointed out four things, in her words deeply shocking. “But at the same time, instead of gouging out my eyes, they painted out my eyebrows“, she said and specifically quoted:
“In Zafirov's report it was said: A big mistake of the previous leadership, understand Ninova, that "made the BSP an anti-corruption party". That is, understand that the right thing to do is a pro-corruption party. Shocking. Yes, for 10 years I have been fighting the "GERB" and "Borisov" model, I claim that this is evil for Bulgaria and as long as it exists we will not get better. They deny it.
Second: a big mistake was that I "made the BSP a protest party" and that in 2020, when I brought the parliamentary group of protests under the raised fist of President Radev, this "led to the electoral collapse of the BSP". The fact that I stood by President Radev, that I led the parliamentary group, that we were with the people in the streets against the “GERB“ model has led to the collapse of the BSP. That is why we started losing the elections. According to them“, Ninova pointed out.
“My third mistake and that is why we lost the elections - that I led the party in a conservative direction, which was bad. This means that I fought for the Bulgarian family, that I fought that we are 2 sexes - man and woman, that I do not want Bulgarian children to change their sex while they are minors. I stand by these positions, but the congress considered this a mistake – i.e. they think that gender ideology, changing the sex of children is possible.
And the fourth, about direct elections: a big mistake that I gave the right to the socialists, to the members of the BSP, to elect a chairman – so the chairman became the sole leader. And they took away the right of the socialists to vote. Mr. Kolev, I was elected with 43,700 votes, Zafirov was elected with 325 or 345. What do you think - is 325 more than 43,700, so they say that by giving the right to all the socialists, I have turned the party into a leader's party and I have become the sole leader?“, Ninova pointed out, concluding:
These are the 4 findings of the congress, which radically change the line of BSP policy. “Unruly Bulgaria“ is the alternative to this entire model that they have embraced.