Comment by Emilia Milcheva:
In less than six months, Delyan Peevski became the full-fledged master of a systemic Bulgarian party, of which he had been imposed as leader a little earlier. First, he split it, then ran for elections and took 30 parliamentary seats, took its brand (which the court helped with), and at the end of the sixth month he consolidated his power. The delegates to the National Conference of the DPS, which Peevski ordered to convene immediately after the vote, elected him as the sole chairman.
And the honorary chairman for life and one of the founders Ahmed Dogan, who was above the chairman and even above the party itself, has already been dethroned - by virtue of Peevski's slogan "Let's clean the scumbags out of the DPS". The forum took place on the date on which 35 years ago the political prisoner Medi Doganov (Ahmed Dogan) was released from prison.
The center around Dogan is encountering serious difficulties in its attempts to resist and regain the brand, and also the most important thing for a party - the voters and cadres who have left it. And the brutal force demonstrated by the new leader of the DPS is pulling voters away from the "authentic DPS". At first, Dogan's formation intends to appeal the legitimacy of the meeting.
But the changes will not be limited only to the internal party conflicts and their impact on the party. They will affect Bulgarian politics and statehood as a whole. If the political forces maintain Peevski's isolation, the process will continue in the institutions - despite his promise to 544 delegates of a "new beginning for all of Bulgaria". If they fail, they will have to deal with "clubs" - pre-trial proceedings and all kinds of inspections.
The end of the "Dogan" doctrine?
The first change is a fact - in the leadership style, since Peevski is known for his direct and pragmatic approach to politics. Instead of the "Dogan" doctrine, imposing a balance between different economic and political circles on the principle of "divide and conquer", the oligarch sanctioned for corruption rearranges priorities and partnerships.
The old elites associated with the "Vazrazhdane" business club, which gained strength under the rule of the NMSV, are in the past. Most key figures are out of the game. Among the few active businessmen are Nikolay Valkanov, the Bobokov brothers, while others such as Emil Kyulev and Iliya Pavlov were killed. Borislav Dionisiev, Radosvet Radev and Tosho Toshev are deceased, Vasil Bozhkov is a defendant without a gambling empire. Dobromir Guscherov and Petyo Blaskov are far from their former influence.
Behind the scenes, the constant
Unlike Dogan, however, who did not seek to personally subjugate this network of economic and political interests, Peevski is entirely focused on consolidating his own. This behavior is risky and could increase the tension between him and the other political players.
One key principle that Peevski has learned from his mentor will not change - behind-the-scenes politics. Unofficial channels of influence, pressure and agreements remain the basis of his power. This symbiosis between business and power (including the judiciary) is a driving force in Bulgaria. No one can develop big business if they do not use an "umbrella", and "umbrellas" have a price.
What the early Dogan began as one of the founders of the oligarchy, the mature Peevski finished. He is the only oligarch who managed to become a political leader.
Internal and external isolation
The new chairman of the MRF will continue to build his own, loyal elite - an immediate task of every party leader in a country with fragile democratic traditions. However, the one sanctioned for corruption by the US and the UK will not get far. His isolation in domestic politics and Europe is obvious, despite his attempts to present himself as an apologist for Euro-Atlanticism and European values.
Apart from representatives of the two major unions, the Confederation of Bulgarian Trade Unions (KITUB) and the Confederation of Trade Unions (KT) "Podkrepa", no party sent its representatives. ΧΙ-th National Conference in February this year was honored by prominent figures from GERB and BSP, former Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha sent a congratulatory address, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined in with a video address. Now Ankara has accounted for one MP and a welcoming address from an expatriate organization, and the international presence was limited to low-ranking diplomats from the Arab world and Africa.
The Chief Mufti Mustafa Hadji, with whom Peevski met several times, also did not come. The European family of liberals, of which MRF is a member, also ignored the forum. Their behavior is understandable - Euractiv recently reported that, according to ALDE Secretary General Didrik de Schetzen, ALDE parties welcome the effective imposition of a sanitary cordon around Peevski. The Liberal Network of Southeast Europe (LIBSEEN) excluded Peevski's MRF from its membership and called on ALDE to do the same - and will continue to work with Ahmed Dogan's formation.
The presidency of the "Renew Europe" group in the European Parliament also unanimously decided to recommend the termination of MRF's membership in the group, "following the actions of its chairman Delyan Peevski, sanctioned under the "Magnitsky" Act. According to the president of "Renew Europe" Valerie Haier "the values of the new leader of the MRF are incompatible with ours".
However, Delyan Peevski got ahead of them - he sent a letter to ALDE, in which he announced that the MRF was terminating its membership in the formation and that the MEPs elected by the MRF would leave the "Renew Europe" group in the EP, because "The new beginning for the MRF is not compatible with belonging to ALDE and the "Renew Europe" group, locked in the ossified liberal model of long-gone years".
Paradoxically, but a fact - at the moment of Delyan Peevski's greatest rise, no one wants to partner with him. The new beginning started hard for the new chairman of the MRF.