With a speech by Hristo Ivanov, the fourth national conference of "Yes, Bulgaria!" began, at which a new chairman of the party is to be elected. In June last year, Ivanov resigned as leader of the formation due to the election result of the parties in the "Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) coalition, of which "Yes, Bulgaria!" is a part.
Enough time has passed since my resignation for me to take stock, he commented. Ivanov emphasized that the resignation is a conscious act of assuming political responsibility. In his words, there is potential concentrated in the "team spirit" of "Yes, Bulgaria!". According to Ivanov, the party has community, capacity, political skill. "Yes, Bulgaria!" it needs authoritative figures to set the tone, theses to base itself on, believes the former leader. There is plenty to choose from, there are ideas, people, characters, profiles, believes Ivanov. He pointed out that far-reaching changes are also on the agenda. In his speech, Ivanov touched on the topic of the defense system, security, the future of NATO and the European Union, the development of the situation in Ukraine, technological changes, etc. "The genie has been let out of the bottle", he pointed out, BTA reported.
Hristo Ivanov outlined four major tasks - guaranteeing freedom, human dignity; placing security at the center of all policies; modernization and competitiveness and guaranteeing belonging to the core of the European Union. He called on the efforts of the formation to be directed towards attracting the middle class.
There are six candidates for the leadership position of "Yes, Bulgaria". These are Bozhidar Bozhanov, Vesselina Alexandrova, Elisaveta Belobradova, Ivaylo Mirchev, Nadezhda Yordanova and Svilen Trifonov. In addition to the chairman, a national leadership is to be elected, and the guidelines for the development of the party in the next three years will be outlined.
At the beginning of the forum, a congratulatory address was read by Atanas Atanasov, leader of "Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria", also part of the DB. Our union is the longest-standing in this part of the political space, the congratulatory address said. It was also emphasized that the DB remains the strongest guarantor of preserving the country's European path, but the coalition is at risk of isolation in the Bulgarian parliament, which requires systematic efforts to increase the party's electoral potential.
In a video address, the co-chairman of "Continuing the Change" Kiril Petkov called for maintaining trust. I am optimistic about our democratic community, he said. Only together can we reach the cherished goal of a legal state, where there is justice, where everyone has an equal start, Petkov added.
Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev congratulated “Yes, Bulgaria!“ also in a video address, in which he stated that the goal is a long-term battle for a new type of governance, with real actions. A congratulatory address was also read on behalf of “Blue Bulgaria“ and the political party “Nikola Petkov“.