SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS

Address of the Head of State to the nation on the current situation and the public discontent in the country

Good afternoon to all!

For a third week in a row a new wave of protests has been sweeping across the country. The political forces made different assessments of the protests. Attempts were made to draw a distinction between the social and political demands made during the protests in February and those that the protesters are now posing. Attempts were made to set the Bulgarian people against one other – some poor protesters against the wealthier ones, arguing that they would be embroiled in a class struggle, some protesters come from Sofia, but the situation in the countryside is different, etc. We have seen more than once attempts to set the Bulgarian citizens against each other and to divide the Bulgarian people. These attempts have always turned to the disadvantage of those who had provoked them.  What mostly raises concern is that even an ethnic opposition is artificially provoked. This is not simply dangerous and destructive, but is also playing with fire, which may have dire implications for the country. Have we failed to learn anything from our neighbors’ most recent history?  I am strongly against all such attempts to divide society!

What the citizens failed to receive in the past months of protests was a clear response to their expectations as the latter far exceed demands for resignation. Civil society in Bulgaria is raising, and will continue to raise, an increasing number of questions. Together with the social demands, more demands are made and will be made related to the structure of Bulgaria’s political system, to politicians’ morale and the values they cherish. This is a clear sign that there is no contradiction between these demands made by the people. What has been going on in the past five months shows that the Bulgarian civil society has completed its transition to democracy and the politicians will understand it sooner or later, one way or another.  The protests today are peaceful. This shows the maturity of society and exposes its ability to raise questions and make demands in a manner that shows the aspirations and values held by the protesters.

The Bulgarian people can readily unmistakably detect everything that runs counter to the idea of the rule of law. The people will no longer tolerate the policy of heavy dependencies and parallel power, pursued throughout the transition years, and, whoever has failed to realize this, has to pay a high political price.

For 22 days now constant protests have been held in Bulgaria.  However, I have not yet seen politicians assume a clear commitment and consider what is happening in the country and explain to the nation in simple words the measures they will take. I categorically refuse to accept the allegation that some people were in front of parliament, while others voted for the incumbents and hence the politicians owe an explanation only to the latter. This is a policy that leads to dividing the Bulgarian nation.

I know what I can and cannot do as President and what I surely cannot accept is to see part of the Bulgarian people hold protests, while another part pretend not to see them.  I cannot accept the attempts to divide the nation – the constitution does not give me the right to do so. According to its provisions, “the President shall be the head of state. He shall embody the unity of the nation…” This fact obliges me to seek solutions. Furthermore, it gives me the right to demand that the political forces provide answers to the protesters.

I know that this country needs stability, the economy needs stability and so do the institutions – we can ensure our economic development only under conditions of stability. Therefore I would like each and every Bulgarian politician to provide an answer to the question concerning what they do to ensure stability - do they exacerbate the problems, do they solve the problems or do they wait for the problems to fade away.

The citizens will refuse to submissively accept any act of political impudence simply because the state is performing another duty – for instance, taking care of the people belonging to the lowest income bracket, reallocating money to the mothers or building highways. It is good that the government offered a package of social measures and is trying to bring down electricity prices for households, the National Assembly made a decision to start work on the amendments of the Election Code.  However, the people are protesting. “Mafia” is chanted in the Bulgarian streets and squares, both in February and now, so I ask – how do the power holders and the opposition interpret this message and how would they respond to the people. I call on the parties in parliament and the government to take action which would unequivocally show that the politicians have the will to dispel once and for all, all suspicions of involvement in cloak and dagger dependencies.  

The big issue at stake is that a tumor has infected Bulgarian democracy. People protest and chant: “mafia”, “monopolies”, “Let us give the state back to the citizens.” The most important national goal is to get rid of and operate on this tumor, so as to heal Bulgarian democracy. It is outrageous that there is no debate on “how” to take remedial action. So is the discrepancy between the politicians’ words and deeds. I feel that public trust is lost. The news for the politicians is that Bulgaria already has an active civil society which insists on justice and real, not façade democracy, as people say. I will launch debates in the President’s Office on those remedial steps to be taken that would be for the betterment of Bulgarian democracy.  Political will and civilian control is needed for their implementation.

I support every civil act that demands that democracy, justice, rule of law and a European future is ensured. I supported the protests in February – then those who were in opposition and are now in power saw nothing wrong about that. Now I also supported protesters’ demands and their right to peacefully voice their position. At present those who kept silent in February consider me biased. I really am biased and as long as I am president I will be biased towards improving democracy, civilian control, justice and ensuring the rule of law.

You know that in the past weeks I put efforts into finding a solution. I convened a Consultative Council for National Security – you saw what the result was. I held informal consultations and talks with the political forces in or outside parliament, with intellectuals, political analysts, sociologists, bloggers, writers and other people. I have reiterated more than once that I do not believe in messiahs and do not believe that the nation should wait for someone else to save it from its predicament. We will find the correct route together and we will alone suffer for and build our European democracy so that we later on we defend and love it. One thing is clear to everyone – the current situation cannot go on! It is essential that definite steps, on which consensus has been reached and which show the direction we are heading in, be taken. Not words, not mere declarations, but real actions are needed.

The first thing that the political forces in parliament should answer is what values Bulgaria holds and whether we will be part of united Europe or else consider the European investors colonizers. These are the questions that should be answered first because this shows our civilization choice. And I will reiterate – not words, actions are needed – transparent, clear actions, taken before the very eyes of the nation. I expect that the political parties will stand up against everything and everyone who diverts Bulgaria away from its European path and from the financial and ethnic and religious stability it has achieved, which we take so much pride in, but is so fragile today.

As President, I am concerned and worried about Bulgaria. This is Bulgaria in which politics is apparently suffering a crisis of values and in which, I will now quote a letter sent to me by Bulgarian intellectuals: “Spitz commandos appeared in the streets who claim that they are imposing order in the state by arresting “citizens.” Their leader entered parliament with a gun and a police club and nobody hampered him to make statements in which he called the civil protests  “a coup against statehood” and threatened that a civil war may break out.” Thousands of people and many media and political entities referred the case of Attack leader’s actions to the Prosecutor’s Office. I would like to recall that the immunity of the French nationalist leader Marine Le Pen was lifted a couple of days ago over similar statements and actions. I do hope the institutions, including the Prosecutor’s Office and parliament, and the political parties represented in it will clearly state their position. We have no choice – we either live in a European country in which the civil rights of all are protected and inciting hatred, racism and discrimination is not tolerated and is punished effectively and by virtue of law, or else a great number of people will head toward Terminal 2 of Sofia airport. While those who remain will have to protect themselves from the Spitz commandos imposing order and not even think of protesting because they will be branded terrorists and imprisoned for three years. If we now keep silent and do not react, just wave our hand and say “So what?” it will be too late after some time. I call for clearly disapproving of such a behavior. The I-cannot-care-less approach has driven us to such a state! A clear position, values and their day-to-day protection are needed to bottom out of the crisis.

A cause is needed, red lines, if you will – boundaries that should not be trespassed. Unprincipled arrangements should never be made, but clear positions should be voiced. Those who support the idea of Bulgaria being a worthy EU member state should be on one side of the boundary, those who call the European companies colonizers and disrespect the European anthem – on the other. And the people will judge them by their deeds only, not by their statements.

Such are the civil protests – they support values and change. Every politician today decides what position to take – as part of the change or part of the status quo. They shall be known by their deeds and the results will be produced at the next general election, no matter when it is held.

There is a great danger that the political entities may build up the tension by staging protests, counter-protests, negative election campaigns, involving fierce opposition, which we saw in May. I am concerned about the signals being sent from Bulgaria, which tarnish its reputation. What did we hear at the debates about Bulgaria held in the European Parliament a couple of days ago?  Cases of election rigging, criminal rings, corruption, mafia, ultranationalists, illegal wiretapping, oligarchs, populism were quoted. This is not Bulgaria! If the image of a country is not good, there will be on investments, no incomes, no jobs.

The constitution does not allow me to side with one party or another, neither suggest when elections should be held and when resignations should be tendered. However, apart from the elections, it is crucial what will happen after the elections. Nobody can convince me that elections are a bad thing, that this most democratic tool of the rule of law could be “harmful.” No, it cannot - this is the only tool for resolving insoluble conflicts and for unraveling the most complicated knot. When everything else fails and there are not even any attempts to reach an agreement, then the only democratic solution is calling elections. To scare people with elections is to say that the rule-of-law state may be dangerous and that democracy is not a good form of organization of social relations. I do not believe that. Hence I do not believe that elections could harm the state, its citizens or anyone else.

In the grave situation since February of the most massive street protests held in the past 15 years, everyone agreed that elections were only one possible solution. I do not accept the false theory that those who resort to this most democratic tool violate the constitution. Yes, amendments of the Election Code should be made, but only the most pressing and unquestionable ones. Bulgarian society is not in a stable state that could allow for lengthy research and drafting an entirely new Election Code based on such research, which will take years.

Today the citizens are pouring their energy into Bulgaria’s political system. It is the people, not the politicians who are opening a new page in this country’s democratic history, when apathy and one-by-one escape will be ended. The people have returned to the political arena and the politicians are in the limelight. The people will no longer close their eyes, it is now high time that politicians opened theirs.

Thank you!