NEWS

Address of President Rosen Plevneliev on the Occasion of the Presidential Elections and the National Referendum on 6 November 2016

Dear Compatriots,

Presidential elections and a national referendum will be held on Sunday. The election campaign is over and currently everything is in the hands of the sovereign. I call on every citizen to exercise their right to vote because voting is not simply an obligation or a right, neither is it a single act of support for policies and the political party that has nominated him. The people’s vote is the most powerful tool for setting the country’s direction of development for a longer period of time. For over a month already the candidates for president and vice-president have been in the spotlight. Whether their ideas have been convincing, whether they have managed to present to the civil society a reasonable debate on the country’s priorities, all this has already gone down in history.  It is now our turn to show what country we, our children and grandchildren would like to live in.

Currently Europe is experiencing one of the most difficult periods in the past seventy years. Difficulties should not scare us, neither should they make us seek extreme and extravagant solutions. History knows a lot of such solutions. We are fed up with messiahs and populists in our history. They always appear in times of hardship, they fuel people’s fears and have never provided a lasting solution to any problem. We should vote in a prudent manner, we should support sustainable solutions, we should give way to values and morality, to democracy, peace and freedom.

It is namely because we experience difficulties that we should adhere to the values that lie at the basis of the democratic society. We should not abandon the ideal and divert from direction set by our ancestors. Nobody should underestimate the Bulgarian people’s wisdom, a people that has a centuries-old and glorious history, that has strong roots, mission and has followed a worthy path of development throughout the centuries. When we are in front of the ballot box, we should support values and a realistic approach that provides solutions along the road of attaining the national ideal.  Although the real, workable solutions are more difficult and harder to reach, in the long run they pay off. Bulgaria is member of the worthiest alliances of democratic and free countries – the EU and NATO. We are a member-state not because of the funds we obtain from Europe and not only because of the security NATO guarantees. This is our civilization choice, this is our family, these are our values – to abide by rules, to consider the human being a priority, to build a country in which democracy, pluralism and justice have no alternative. I believe that at the presidential elections the Bulgarian people will show that apart from the qualities a candidate possesses, we have made a conscious civilization choice and that peace, freedom and democracy have no alternative.

I call on all political parties and all participants in the forthcoming election to respect the sovereign’s right to make their choice in a free and independent manner. We should not burden reflection day with attempts at vote-rigging and illegal attraction of voter support. This is a well-known approach from the recent past. However, everyone should be aware that such a success is deceitful and the damage it inflicts on the political system and the civil society is far more serious. All of us should treat our people with respect, believe in its wisdom and accept the people’s choice no matter what it is.

This Sunday we will not only vote for president and vice-president, we will also take part in a national referendum for the third time in our most recent history. I am proud that all three national referendums were conducted during my term in office, because I sincerely believe in the opportunities direct democracy provides. It is true that there are further legal amendments we should make to derive maximum benefit from this powerful democratic tool, yet I believe that the good solutions will come when we gain further experience. The active participation in the referendum on Sunday will be a clear sign that will not only show the importance of the referendums, but will also highlight the constructive role they play in support of Bulgarian democracy.

Dear Compatriots,

The head of state often has to deal with a lot of critical situations. There are moments when he serves as the pillar of the whole country. Therefore the president’s personality and his principled position are extremely important. This Sunday we will vote for the fifth Bulgarian president, who we believe will be worthy and successful. We should grab the opportunity to vote bona fide and in a wise manner so that we can further improve our democratic rule-of-law state.

Be active at the forthcoming presidential elections and national referendum on Sunday!