site.btaUDF Leader Blames Truth Destroyed in Party House Arson, Lack of Lustration for "Lingering Soviet-Style Oligarchic-Structures Stranglehold" on Bulgaria

"The burned archives and the failure to carry out proper lustration are among the key reasons why Bulgaria remains entangled in the networks of the former State Security [Communist-era secret police] and the heirs of the communist elite. And that, in turn, answers a painful question: why is Bulgaria still the poorest country in the European Union?" Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) leader Roumen Hristov wrote on Facebok Tuesday in a post marking the 35th anniversary of an arson of Sofia’s Party House that housed the headquarters of the Bulgarian Socialist (ex-Communist) Party (BCP).

The fire destroyed the truth about many people and events, Hristov noted, arguing that the loss of vital documents in the fire helped the BCP implement the behest of the party’s ousted leader Todor Zhivkov: "transform the BCP's totalitarian political power into economic clout" during Bulgaria's post-communist transition.

"This is precisely why joining the Eurozone matters, so that European financial and economic regulations can help dismantle the Soviet-style oligarchic structures that continue to suffocate Bulgaria to this day," the UDF leader adds.

The Union of Democratic Forces was founded in 1989 as a union of several dissident groups opposed to the communist government. Later on, it was transformed into a political party proper under the same name. Longtime dissident philosopher Zhelyu Zhelev, who would later become Bulgaria's president, was elected UDF chairman.