I chose my candidate a long time ago. And he is not an individual - he is a direction. The path along which the new chairman should lead the BSP.
This was stated in “Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov” the deputy chairman of the PG of the “BSP-United Left” Kiril Dobrev, commenting on the question of whether he had chosen which of the three contenders for leader of the BSP - Krum Zarkov, Borislav Gutsanov or Rusi Statkov - had he voted for at the party congress.
He explained that he had known Rusi Statkov for about 35 years. “He was a colleague of my father, I know what he thinks and how he thinks. My entire political journey over the past 20 years has been with Borislav Gutsanov. And Krum Zarkov is one of my new colleagues - since 2017. I can say that all three of them are good friends of mine. They gave different trends for the development and direction of the BSP", emphasized Dobrev.
In his words, the choice he himself made is for "a strong BSP, for a united BSP and for a party that will have an active presence in the next parliament'.
Regarding what the new leader of the BSP should change and which of the three can make the party stronger, Dobrev pointed out that: "First, he must understand that a leader is not just charisma. These are chairmen - "first among equals". These are people who must create teams and know their municipal chairmen by name, with their problems and difficulties. This must change in the BSP. The party must once again live as a family, as it has been for more than 30 years.
Kiril Dobrev pointed out several mistakes of his party in recent months. "The first is the so-called technical error. The entire BSP leadership was part of either the parliamentary group or the government, which separated them from the membership and their voters. They were not aware of what excites them, what bothers them and what reactions they have", he emphasized.
And he added: "The second, more important, is the political error that is inherent in the BSP - it has always placed state interests above party interests".
And he gave an example when a year ago, after several early elections, there was public pressure on the BSP to support a government and help restart the state. "Then we helped with the plan for absorbing European funds, we managed to ensure salaries and pensions with all updates and we completed Bulgaria's European integration and our membership in the eurozone. This mandate is historic, and the BSP will remain in it. But the choice of state interest over party interest is the reason for the current congress," Kiril Dobrev is categorical.