site.btaGERB-UDF: Suspending Rule of Law Leads to Political Violence

In a declaration issued on Friday, GERB-UDF, through MP Toma Bikov, said that suspending the rule of law leads to political violence and makes dates such as February 1, 1945 more a logical outcome than an extraordinary event. February 1 marks the Day of Gratitude and Homage to the Victims of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria.

On this day in 1945, three regents, 67 MPs, cabinet ministers, generals, colonels and bankers were sentenced to death by a People's Court and executed the same day. The People's Courts handed down more than 10,000 sentences in 131 trials, including 2,600 death sentences, while more than 200 people were killed even before formal proceedings began. Thousands of victims were buried in unmarked graves, killed without trial or sentence.

Toma Bikov said February 1, 1945 reflects a long escalation of political violence in Bulgaria that began after World War I and the erosion of the rule of law, noting that coups and constitutional suspensions had already set a precedent by that time. He stressed that such processes ultimately endanger all participants and that the date should be understood in its full historical context. Citing philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev, Bikov warned that revolutions do not eliminate evil and that revenge and retribution inevitably lead to further bloodshed and a heavy cost for society.

That is why he referred at the outset to 1989, when Bulgaria began its transition from communist rule to a democratic political system, describing it as a flawed and unsuccessful transition that nevertheless fulfilled its main purpose. He said its primary aim was to remain peaceful and to avoid mass repression and revenge against the previous regime, which some groups still regard as an injustice. According to Bikov, injustice did occur, but peace was preserved.

He concluded that this "failed transition" succeeded in ending political violence in Bulgaria, calling it a major achievement of all those who took part in the political process after 1989, across the entire political spectrum.