site.btaPolitical Leaders React as President Radev Says He Will Step Down

Political leaders reacted after President Rumen Radev said in a televised address to the nation on Monday that he would submit his resignation on Tuesday, prompting fresh speculation that he may move into party politics.

In his address, Radev described it as his last as head of State. He did not expressly refer to launching a party of his own.

There Is Such a People leader Slavi Trifonov welcomed Radev “to the political arena of Bulgaria” in a social media post minutes after the address. Trifonov also set out his own agenda, writing that he would continue to defend “traditional Bulgarian values”, Bulgarians in North Macedonia and the position that illegal migrants have no place in Bulgaria, adding that There Is Such a People is a “right-wing, traditional, conservative” party.

Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) co-Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova told reporters in Parliament that the coalition’s positions were clear, while Radev had yet to state his. She said anyone seeking dialogue with CC–DB should first take a stand against what she called the [GERB leader Boyko] Borissov – [Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning Chair Delyan] Peevski model and in favor of a pro-European Bulgaria, adding that Radev’s entry into the party arena did not alter the coalition’s priorities. Ivaylo Mirchev of Yes, Bulgaria echoed that line in a social media post.

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov said he expects “the former president” to take part in pre-election debates. In a social media post, he wrote that he was looking forward to seeing Radev there “if he has the courage to show up”, adding that Radev would have to answer questions he could no longer avoid. Kostadinov also mocked language in Radev’s address, seizing on a reference to a “new social contract” and a call for “revival”, noting that the Bulgarian word for revival is vazrazhdane [the party’s eponym]. He added that he expected Radev’s next step would be a call for withdrawal from NATO.

Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov wrote on social media that BSP – United Left “has a president again” and wished Vice President Iliana Iotova success in her new role. Iotova was first elected Vice President in 2016 and re-elected in 2021, both times on a joint ticket with Radev, and she is a long-time member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Zafirov also welcomed Radev to politics, saying he believed this would help return politics to its essential focus: the welfare of the people.

MECh leader Radostin Vasilev wished Radev success on the political stage and described a potential new party linked to him as a possible ally. In a social media post, Vasilev wrote that MECh’s core goal remained the fight against corruption, captured institutions and “the stolen future”, adding that there would be no compromises with the truth and that MECh’s enemies were GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in all their forms.

Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov also congratulated Radev on social media, saying Bulgarians had a duty to their ancestors and arguing the country should be preserved and passed on to future generations. Mihaylov described Radev’s choice as a tough, high-stakes decision to enter the fight and urged him to carefully select the people he would work with, adding that he was ready to support anyone who genuinely fought for a clean and holy republic.

Leaders of the other parties in Parliament have not yet issued a statement.