site.btaProgressive Bulgaria Leader Highlights Mass Voting as Solution to Bulgarian Elections' Integrity Problems

The integrity of elections in Bulgaria is a problem, and the solution is mass voting, Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev said in Kyustendil ahead of a meeting with supporters on Wednesday. He called for mass turnout “to drown all this bought, manipulated vote in a sea of free votes”.

Addressing supporters, Radev said that Bulgaria is not a poor country, but a poorly governed and plundered one. “We have reached this point precisely because of incompetence, negligence and corruption across a series of governments in Bulgaria,” he commented, adding that for this reason, and in response to calls from people in the country, he decided to leave the presidency and run in parliamentary elections.

The first goal set by Progressive Bulgaria is to free people from fear. According to Radev, there are regions in the country where people do not dare to express their opinions and political positions because they are dependent on institutions.

The second goal is to remove the corrupt, oligarchic model of governance from political power, Radev said. He stated that in Parliament he would seek 160 votes in order to replace the Supreme Judicial Council and appoint a new prosecutor general. Further plans include reform of the Interior Ministry, a review of key public procurements, sanctions, and public registers for non-compliant contractors.

Radev outlined key policies for the Progressive Bulgaria coalition related to justice, the economy, energy, healthcare, agriculture, sport and culture.