site.btaUPDATED Bulgarian Politicians Pay Tribute to Heroes on National Day, Call to Preserve Freedom

Politicians in Bulgaria issued messages and statements on the occasion of this country's National Holiday, March 3, honoring those who fought for Bulgaria's freedom and urging that the hard-won liberty be preserved for future generations.

Bulgaria marks the 148th anniversary of its Liberation today, with events taking place across the country. 

“Freedom is a question posed to us every day, and a decision that must be defended,” caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said on the occasion of Bulgaria’s National Day. His March 3 statement was published on the official Facebook page of the Council of Ministers.

National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan wrote on social media: “For us Bulgarians, March 3 is the day of freedom - a freedom we must cherish every moment, because it was won through the self-sacrifice of thousands of our own and foreign heroes who gave their lives so that Bulgaria could be free today.”

Bulgaria earned its freedom and fought for it, President Iliana Iotova said in an interview on the occasion of Bulgaria's National Day, for Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), published on the national broadcaster’s website. According to her, the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) marked the end of a historical period from which the Third Bulgarian State was reborn. 

Freedom is a choice, GERB leader Boyko Borissov wrote in a Facebook post marking Bulgaria’s National Day. According to him, freedom is the choice to take responsibility. 

"The essential question is what we do with our freedom now," a Facebook post from Continue the Change stated.

Yes, Bulgaria Co-Chair Ivaylo Mirchev wrote on Facebook that March 3 "is above all an opportunity to take stock, a reason to ask ourselves what we want to pass on to our children from today's Bulgaria, and what has no place in our future."

“If we managed to free ourselves from Ottoman rule, we will also free ourselves from the rule of the mafia and the thugs,” Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov wrote in a Facebook post marking Bulgaria’s National Day.

"We must remember that we are a people who, even in the darkest and most turbulent times, have had the strength and energy to defend their ideal - a free, peaceful and independent Bulgaria," said Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan Peevski, according to the party’s press office.

“March 3 is an eternal and imperturbable date in Bulgarian history,” BSP leader Krum Zarkov said in a statement published on the party’s official Facebook page.

“Bow and gratitude to all those human beings who died for our freedom,” There Is Such a People leader Slavi Trifonov wrote on Facebook.

"Today we pay tribute to the heroism and self-sacrifice of all those who won Bulgaria’s freedom and laid the foundations of the modern Bulgarian State,” the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms wrote on its Facebook page. 

"Today marks the day when Bulgarian national consciousness achieved its triumph - Liberation Day, MECh leader Radostin Vasilev wrote in a Facebook post marking the national holiday.

“Today we mark the most significant day in Bulgarian history,” the Velichie party stated in a post for the national holiday. 

Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev took part in the celebrations in Stara Zagora, Central Bulgaria. He used the occasion to turn the attention the April 19 snap parliamentary vote: "We will win these elections with the knowledge that we will establish a government with clear rules that are the same for everyone," Radev said.