site.btaVice President Iotova: Civil Peace Has to Be Preserved at All Costs

“We must do everything possible to preserve civil peace in the country. The responsibility lies with those who are organizing the counter-protests, because we have traced the history of the counter-protest. This is a party-organized counter-protest,” said Vice President Iliana Iotova in Plovdiv. She is visiting the city for observances of the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Picturesque Bulgaria Programme, implemented by the University of Plovdiv and the Ministry of Education and Science.

 “The major difference from the protests we have seen so far in Sofia and the larger cities is that people came out spontaneously. There were many people who are not affiliated with any political party and came to express their dissatisfaction with the arrogant attitude toward partners and with the way politics is conducted in Bulgaria,” Iotova noted. According to her, the role of the police in the upcoming protests is very important, as under no circumstances should clashes be allowed, like those at the December 1 protest.

According to the Vice President, it is worrying that the “ethnic card is being played.” “I claim that such a problem does not exist in Bulgaria. And as someone who spent 10 years as a Member of the European Parliament, I can say that at every forum, at every session in the plenary hall in Strasbourg where similar issues were discussed, Bulgaria was always given as an example in Europe for ethnic tolerance. For me, it is extremely reckless to use such arguments today. Moreover, they simply do not exist,” Iotova said.

When asked whether she fears that the upcoming protests and counter-protests could lead to divisions in society, she replied that division can come only from poor governance and from people feeling that they have no future.

Yotova also commented on the upcoming debates on the vote of no confidence, stating that she expects a meaningful discussion. “I hope there will be a meaningful and focused debate. It is likely that the numbers will work out during the vote on the following day. But I have already said -what is different now is the strong support of the majority of Bulgarians against this government.”