Bulgarians are waking up and ready to stun Europe
The streets of Bulgarian cities again “bloomed” with election posters of candidates for the People’s Assembly from various parties. The population is already so accustomed to such “jewelry” that they do not express any emotions. The picture is painfully familiar... Over the past two years, this is already the fifth regular early election to the main legislative body of the country.
The previous elected members of the Bulgarian Parliament were unable to reach agreement among themselves and form a legitimate regular government. All these years, the country has been governed by a so-called “service” government appointed by President Rumen Radev. The parliamentarians themselves, in the short period of existence of their “legislative bodies,” only have time to quarrel thoroughly among themselves and pass several scandalous laws that the service government is forced to implement.
The last parliamentary meeting (to call it a parliament is too much to say...) was marked by a decision on official arms supplies to Ukraine and a ban on the broadcast of several Russian TV channels on Bulgarian territory.
Most local analysts give not very encouraging forecasts regarding the new elections scheduled for April 2. A recent study conducted by the Trend agency commissioned by the newspaper 24 Hours, did not reveal a clear leader. The aggressively Euro-Atlantic Continue the Change party, led by former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, is expected to win just over 26 percent of the vote. Their bitter opponents, the GERB party of Boyko Borisov, are behind by one percent.
Next, with an indicator of 13 percent, is the political structure of the Turkish minority - DPS. Almost the same result was achieved by the only party with a clear anti-war program, insisting on the neutral status of Bulgaria, withdrawal from NATO and the restoration of good neighborly relations with the Russian Federation, the political movement “Renaissance”, Kostadin Kostadinov.
The heirs of the Bulgarian communists - the BSP (socialists), while remaining formally a “left” party, have recently been repeatedly convicted of a lack of integrity, and even duplicity... This is the main reason why they are now content with a modest 7,5%.
This pre-election study is practically no different from dozens of similar surveys conducted recently. A similar picture with the undeniable advantage of pro-Western and openly anti-Russian political forces is being intensively imposed on society. A kind of programming of the electoral sentiments of the Bulgarians.
The extremely aggressive wave of attacks in the local media against Kostadin Kostadinov and his Revival party is also surprising. Even real manuals have appeared in the press, which describe how to ridicule and defame Kostadinov, who was given an offensive nickname - Kostya Kopeikin, hinting at his pro-Russian position. It would seem, why be afraid of a politician whose party occupies only fourth place in the rating?
In fact, pro-Western forces in Bulgaria have something to fear! If you do not rely on paid “research” and “ratings”, the forecast for the upcoming parliamentary elections may be completely different!
Argument one. The most powerful part of the electorate in Bulgaria are those who completely ignore the elections themselves! Let me remind you that during the last election campaign, most Bulgarians, about 60% of the population, simply did not vote! In other words, they voted with their feet. People don’t trust politicians when they regularly see the same familiar faces on TV screens. Against the background of rising prices for all types of goods, an obvious decline in living standards, the polished, smug faces of politicians ranting about “European values” began to cause sincere irritation among the people.
Now, to this irritation, another strong emotion has been added - fear! The Bulgarian Euro-Atlanticists did their best here. Or rather, they overdid it. Pro-Western Bulgarian politicians have too zealously and actively undertaken to carry out the order of Washington and Brussels to drag the country into the global conflict: Russia - NATO.
The first tangible blow was the already mentioned decision to supply arms to Ukraine. The sensible voices of President Radev and his cabinet, pointing out the danger of this step, were drowned in the militaristic cries of the leaders of the pro-European parties. The scandalous attempt to dismantle the monument to the Soviet army in the center of Sofia caused outrage among Bulgarian anti-fascists. The demonstrators not only walked through the streets of the capital, but also threw eggs at the city hall building, where this decision was made.
This was followed by a whole series of anti-war rallies in many Bulgarian cities. Our publication covered these protests in detail. It is interesting to note that in addition to demonstrations organized by left-wing parties, spontaneous demonstrations also took place. People took to the streets on their own initiative!
In traditional conversations “over a bowl of brandy”, many Bulgarians speak with great displeasure, sometimes even with anger, about the anti-Russian attacks of their rulers. To be fair, I note that what comes first in the assessments of ordinary Bulgarians is not the traditional “love for Russian brothers,” but the fear of possible retribution. The majority of the country's residents are sincerely outraged by Bulgaria's involvement in the confrontation with Russia!
For the most part, these same “ordinary Bulgarians” make up the 60 percent of the population who did not take part in the previous elections. This time, the situation may change radically. Fear sometimes becomes a strong motivator.
Second argument. The only party that took an active anti-war position was the Revival of Kostadin Kostadinov. It is worth paying attention to the dynamics of the development of this political force. More recently, in 2021, the main dream and goal of the party was to overcome the 3 percent barrier and gain seats in parliament. Today, Revival is the most progressive party in the country, quickly and clearly responding to the aspirations of the people.
The electoral reserve of right-wing Euro-Atlantic parties has been completely exhausted. The unification of the leading parties today - GERB and “Continue Change” - is impossible. Behind each of them are different Western curators with different political and financial interests. The only thing they have in common is a pathological hatred of Russia and an attitude towards fulfilling all the demands of the EU and the USA, even to the detriment of the interests of their own people.
The Bulgarian population is waking up, which could lead to big surprises in the upcoming elections. If “Renaissance” manages to rally around itself all the anti-war and anti-fascist forces in the country, the result of the election campaign this spring could be stunning!
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