site.bta“Political Garbage Easiest to Clean Up During Elections”, Sofia Mayor Terziev Says

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that elections are approaching and that this is the moment when “political garbage” can be cleaned up most easily through a few simple actions. Earlier in the day, MRF – New Beginning had alerted outgoing Heath Minister Silvi Kirilov, and outgoing Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov about the waste crisis in Sofia.

Earlier on Tuesday, MRF – New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski called for Terziev’s resignation, arguing that because of him “Bulgaria’s capital has been sinking into garbage and filth”. Also on Tuesday, GERB leader Boyko Borissov commented that he believes Terziev should remain in office until the end of his term, so that it can be seen what it means to be governed by Continue the Change and Yes, Bulgaria.

According to Terziev, citizens can clean up “political garbage” by going out to vote, by not allowing anyone to buy their vote, by reporting pressure or vote-buying if they witness it, and by becoming election observers or polling station representatives during elections.

Terziev said that, in his view, the most expensive “tax” in Bulgaria is not VAT, but fear. He described it as the fear of standing out, of causing problems, of being left alone, or of opposing those in power. This fear, he added, is precisely what people who have been running the same system for years rely on.

He wrote that today the same figures can once again be seen “lined up like a pack”: Delyan Peevski, Boyko Borissov, Slavi Trifonov, and “their entire circle of convenient dependencies”. According to Terziev, they are not stopped by the fact that Bulgaria ranks at the bottom of the EU in too many key areas – incomes, education, life expectancy, nor by the fact that many families live on the edge, nor by conscience, because for them conscience is a weakness.

The Sofia Mayor recalled that he had refused to sign off on an expense of nearly BGN 400 million, which would have condemned an ordinary four-member family in the Lyulin neighbourhood to an unaffordable annual waste fee of more than EUR 500 within just a few years. He called on citizens to also refuse resignation and complacency, arguing that without it the system would collapse, and urged that it be dismantled once and for all.

Terziev also called on citizens, regardless of whether they like him or not, to dispose of waste separately and not to place construction or bulky waste in grey containers. He added that this is one of the best and most long-term investments people can make for their own wallets, not for his personal benefit.