NEWS

The Head of State: the Transition Period Began with the Thugs and will End with Throwing Them Out of Power

Address to the People by President Rumen Radev

Dear Compatriots,

Every week thousands of Bulgarians are taking to the streets, pressing demands for the resignation of the government and the prosecutor general, for freedom, rule of law and justice. The citizens of Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Ruse, Stara Zagora, Veliko Turnovo and other cities prove that the protest is nationwide and unites people of all ages and social categories. And Bulgaria’s young generation fills us with pride and restored the hope for our homeland’s future.

The mobilization of Bulgarians is an expression of the national anti-mafia consensus. It is an expression of the courage to call the problems by their proper names. It is an expression of the resolve to no longer tolerate corruption and its umbrella in the Prosecutor’s Office, the merger between the power holders and the media, the deeply entrenched state apparatus that has eroded democratic institutions and the rule of law. This mobilization is an enormous historical asset that can change the fate of our fatherland and of each one of us. This asset belongs to no leader and no party, but to the entire Bulgarian people. What is happening on the streets today is an achievement of all Bulgarians who are defending their future. The mobilization we are observing is a result of namely that effort of theirs.  

We should be aware that the mafia feeds on our fear and apathy. Today our struggle for justice and freedom is in the hands of the people of the protest. This is our common cause. The insulting suggestions that thousands of Bulgarians pouring out in the squares are paid and manipulated betray arrogance, political helplessness and intrigue behind the scenes: lies, slander and sowing of dissent. Bulgarians have never been more united in their demand for lawfulness and in their courage to be actors, not observers of their lives. Never before have our people been more mature in their resolve to get the country that belongs to them back, showing perseverance and no violence. To preserve nature.  To restore justice in law administration, which is called upon to protect it. To restore truth in the media, which are paid with taxpayers’ money. Therefore we must be wise and united, so that we do not allow dissipation of the public energy for change, we do not allow selfishness, prejudice, intrigues behind the scenes and external forces to bring discord to our ranks. The government’s and the prosecutor general’s attempts to survive with insinuations and intrigues, their refusal to hear the voice of Bulgaria, only prolong the crisis. Trust has been lost and this can be seen everywhere in the squares. The current oligarchic model of government is exhausted and rejected by the people. The restart of the political process and the country’s modernization go through the resignation of the government and the prosecutor general and fair elections. Once again, I call on the police and the protesters to avoid violence and provocations. At this historic moment for our country, we must not allow the citizens’ fair demands to be discredited and the energy for change to be wasted.

The transition period started with thugs and will end with throwing them out of power. It depends on us, on each one of us to make this happen.

Thank you for the attention!