site.btaRadev Has Yet to Provide Concrete Details on His Political Project, GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Says

Interviewed on Bulgarian National Television on Sunday, GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva said that former president Rumen Radev has yet to provide concrete details about his political project. She argued that he was offering the public empty hopes, which she described as "a bubble."

Sacheva added that for nine years Radev had been running an election campaign from the President's Office, noting that GERB had repeatedly called on him to step forward and set up a political entity of his own. "We still do not know what exactly he will have - a party or a movement. He may have supporters, but there is yet no structure, no registration, no name, no platform, no ideology, no team," she said. "All of this is essential in politics. It is important - not for GERB, but for all those who currently believe Rumen Radev represents hope, because that hope is just a bubble at the moment," Sacheva said. In order for it to materialize and for us to see what lies behind the big words and moral monologues, there needs to be something a bit more concrete. So far, we have seen none," she added.

The GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader recalled that during his presidency, Radev had appointed five caretaker governments and clearly revealed his views when it comes to teams and policymaking. For nearly three years, he governed almost single-handedly, as president and as the person determining the composition of the Council of Ministers, Sacheva said. She questioned what he had achieved over the course of his nine years in office. "Even looking at it through the lens of the presidency: Zhelyu Zhelev built this institution; Petar Stoyanov championed the cause of throwing a prom for children from care homes; Georgi Parvanov launched [the charity initiative] Bulgarian Christmas; Rosen Plevneliev left us a presidential library. What did Rumen Radev leave behind?" Sacheva asked.

She emphasized that the election campaign must be as informative as possible so voters know what to expect. In her view, it is clear that Bulgarian citizens will not grant any political entity an absolute majority in the next elections. That is why coalition governance is required, Sacheva said, noting that GERB serves as a good example in this respect.

Sacheva added that the party has no preferences regarding the date of the elections.