site.btaDB Co-Chair Atanassov Compares Current Situation with Bulgaria before Soviet Union's Collapse

Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria MP and Democratic Bulgaria Co-Chair Atanas Atanassov compared the current situation in Bulgaria to that in the country before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Speaking to journalists in Pleven (Northern Bulgaria) on Saturday, he said that the 2026 State Budget Bill proposes “a budget of stagnation”.

“The people in power will hold on for a few more years, they will use a large part of the financial resources in directions that satisfy certain circles, they will fill certain coffers through corruption schemes. The bad thing is that there is apathy among the population, people do not notice, and they do not listen,” he added.

Atanassov said that the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria MPs voted against this draft budget and have solid arguments for doing so. “The opposition must always prepare for elections, but at the moment there is such a stable construction that keeps power based on corruption practices that it is very difficult to break,” he added.

The DB Co-Chair drew attention to the fact that the largest budget increase is in the security sector. “In the Interior Ministry and the security services it was increased last year as well, but this topic has not been discussed in Parliament because the committee for oversight of the services has been boycotted by those in power this season - it is not meeting at all. And that is where the debate should have taken place, because the discussions and hearings of the heads of these agencies happen in the committee,” he noted.

“They simply do whatever they want, and these things are important and should be noticed by people. And regarding the budget - pouring huge amounts of money into maintaining the current nomenklatura that runs the state and the security services. That is where the most money is being poured, into several ‘piggy banks’,” he argued.

Regarding the upcoming Tuesday protest related to the draft budget, Atanassov said that the opposition is ideologically divided. He does not feel comfortable participating anywhere alongside representatives of Vazrazhdane because, in his words, they work in the interests of a foreign state. “Our ideological views are diametrically opposed to theirs,” he added.

“The protest belongs to our coalition. If I see them there, I will decide how to react. At this stage I will say nothing more,” the MP said.