“The Monument to the Soviet Army in central Sofia belongs solely to the Museum of Socialist Art, where it has to continue its life as part of the history curriculum,” wrote on Facebook mayoral candidate Vassil Terziev. He has been nominated by Continue the Change, Democratic Bulgaria, Spasi Sofia and Sofia’s Team.
"Regardless of how many tent camps are erected in its defence, the truth is only one and it should be known by all Bulgarian citizens – this monument symbolizes a historical untruth," argues Terziev. According to him, the debate about where the monument should be located is useful because it allows the question of the historical Soviet influence on Bulgaria’s political and social life to be presented truthfully to the generations, but he was adamant that the monument does not belong in the centre of the capital.
"I will consult the local authorities of other beautiful European cities which have also dismantled Soviet symbols from their urban environment to see what they turned the vacated plots into and what they symbolize now," writes Terziev.
"The issue with the Monument to the Soviet Army is political and not of urban planning and its dismantling needs a categorical political position and deliberate governance action," mayoral candidate Vili Lilkov told BTA. He has been nominated by an initiative committee.
"The monument itself symbolizes a historical untruth. The Soviet Army is not a liberator, but an occupier of Bulgaria. In addition, the monument was not built by the grateful Bulgarian people, but under the decision of Politburo, and this is a political body. In this sense, the monument is a symbol of the occupation of Bulgaria. Which is why it has to be considered as a political issue first," according to Lilkov.
He urged the incumbent to adopt a roadman with a concrete timetable and responsibilities for the dismantling of the monument.
/YV/
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