The leader of “We Continue the Change“ Assen Vassilev issued a strong challenge to Rumen Radev to say clearly whether he will support the measures that the PP proposes to fight corruption, or will he just talk. “Mr. Radev, this is about the fate of Bulgaria. The fate of Bulgaria is decided by actions, not general phrases. We have clearly written the actions that we believe must be taken to free Bulgaria from Borisov and Peevski. One question to you and your candidate MPs: for how many of these actions in parliament are you ready to press the “yes” button?“ This is how Assen Vassilev addressed Radev in Plovdiv yesterday after the founding of a local structure of “Youth for Change“.
Yesterday, Rumen Radev allowed himself to lie that we would support the exploration for shale gas in Dobrudja, which is an absolute lie. Two days earlier, I told the Bulgarian National Radio that this will not happen. Bulgaria must explore for gas in the Black Sea. But this is not an isolated case of a lie by Radev, unfortunately. And now I will show you what a cowardly hypocrite looks like“, said Vassilev and listed a series of Radev's actions and inactions over the years.
Rumen Radev on weapons for Ukraine
January 2022 Rumen Radev says: "Our patriotic duty is to prevent our homeland from being drawn into the war and to prevent the export of weapons to Ukraine".
February 2023 information is released: "Bulgaria has never had a larger export of weapons to Ukraine than during the caretaker government of Rumen Radev. In 2022, Bulgaria exported weapons and received income of 5 billion leva, including during the caretaker government of Rumen Radev".
„Care“ for Bulgarian citizens and Russian gas
Rumen Radev, April 27, 2022: "I have repeatedly insisted and claimed that these 3 billion leva, paid from our budget, serve not the Bulgarian interest, but the interest of other countries that transit through our territory for free. We are talking about TurkStream".
September 22, 2022: Borisov and Radev knew that no gas would flow to Bulgaria through TurkStream, according to SANS reports.
September 2021, Rumen Radev's second cabinet refuses supplies of Azerbaijani gas under the long-term contract, as the price of Azerbaijani gas is two times lower than the price of gas from „Gazprom“.
This finds the „Petkov“ cabinet on December 13, 2021. However, this did not prevent Radev from saying on March 8, 2022: "If we want to destroy our economy, let's support the gas and oil sanctions against Russia". We supported them, we did not destroy our economy.
Rumen Radev, May 1, 2022: "There are politicians who are ready to take this dangerous step, to stake the future of Bulgaria in the interest of their own selfish goals. Let's not allow the passions of the war to be transferred to our country. Let's not tolerate political charlatans using them for their own use". The export of weapons to Ukraine continues and it is well paid. Bulgarian industry wins.
However, on August 22, Radev's government, after overthrowing the “Petkov“ cabinet, refused five tankers of liquefied gas directly from the US producer.
On December 24, 2022, on Christmas Eve, the preliminary agreement for BOTAS was signed, negotiated by Rumen Radev personally in Turkey. Since then, every Bulgarian family, each of you, has been paying 50 euros to BOTAS through your electricity and gas bills and will continue to pay for another 10 years.
Radev against a package of measures against inflation
When the war in Ukraine began, the “Petkov“ cabinet made a broad anti-crisis package with a complex of measures against inflation and high prices. According to Assen Vassilev, this should also be done now that the war in Iran is starting. This anti-crisis package included an increase in pensions, ahead of the Swiss rule. The package included:
• An anticipatory increase in the minimum wage and salaries in the state. It included 25 stotinki per liter of fuel for the cheapest A95 fuels and cheap diesel, excluding premium fuels, for all Bulgarian citizens - individuals.
• A reduction in the VAT rate for heating and gas from 20% to 9%. It included a reduction in the rate for bread - 0% VAT, so that the most vulnerable groups in Bulgaria could be protected from the impending price wave.
• Setting a ceiling on electricity for businesses, so that their electricity bills would not increase and hence they would not have to raise prices.
“This was a complex of measures, on the one hand, for the key goods that are clearly going to be hit, to reduce as much as possible what the state collects. On the other hand, to raise people's incomes, because this is the real way to protect themselves from inflation. We all see that these measures have yielded results and Bulgarian citizens have not become poorer. These measures were adopted despite the enormous resistance and despite the fact that the “Petkov“ cabinet had already resigned“, explained Assen Vassilev.
What Rumen Radev said about these measures after the “Petkov“ cabinet fell:
Rumen Radev, August 29, 2022: “The forecast for 2023-2025 shows a decline in GDP. The 2023 budget deficit will be 6.8%. I am categorically against another update of the budget for this year to increase salaries, pensions and other social expenses“. This cabinet was appointed before the changes to the Constitution with complete freedom of the president.
Rumen Radev, December 11, 2022: “The discount of 25 stotinki per liter of gasoline is a lobbying measure, not help to Bulgarian citizens“.
“If this cabinet had been in power in May 2022, Bulgarian citizens would have been quite impoverished. On the other hand, Bulgarian energy oligarchs would have been quite rich“, said Asen Vassilev.
Radev's attitude towards the eurozone.
“I was a minister in Stefan Yanev's first official cabinet when the plan for adopting the euro in Bulgaria was released for public discussion on June 30. "Then Mr. Radev had no problem with the euro," explained the PP leader.
November 9, 2022 Radev is for the euro and against the referendum. His argument is that according to the law, holding a referendum on issues regulated in already adopted and ratified international treaties is impossible. There are also restrictions under the Constitution.
Rumen Radev on February 24, 2023: “I am convinced that our membership in the eurozone will lead to significant economic benefits. We need effective policy and actions for our admission to the eurozone. Bulgaria simply needs to continue with a flying start forward“.
May 9, 2025, two years later, Rumen Radev wants a referendum. Krum Zarkov and Atanas Pekanov leave his team.
“The fight“ of Radev with the oligarchy
Assen Vassilev listed three parts in which Radev showed that he is not working against the oligarchy:
Part one. DANS screwed up the machines for the 2023 local elections with a clumsy open report, which turned out to be a complete fabrication. Academician Denkov demanded the resignation of the head and deputy head of DANS. Rumen Radev: “The resignation of the head of DANS Plamen Tonchev is requested not because he broke the law, but because he complied with it” and refuses to sign the resignation of the head of DANS. To this day, we have the same management of DANS.
Part two. The “Petkov“ cabinet falls. Part of the measures that were taken was the first version of the so-called municipal program. 500 million leva were found within the central budget and, by decree of the Council of Ministers, they were directed to already existing projects in over 160 municipalities. Almost none of these projects were implemented. In the same way that the municipal program was blocked when it was adopted by parliament. Only the person with whom the mayors had to take a picture at that time in order to receive their money was named Koprinkov, not Delyan Peevski.
Part three. You see what the caretaker government is currently doing regarding vote buying. Do you remember what Boyko Rashkov did in 2021. Do you remember such actions in 2022 or 2024? Why? Why did the vote buyers enjoy comfort during Rumen Radev's official cabinets?, asked Asen Vassilev.
He also asked the question why Mrs. Yotova had to become president to appoint Andrey Gyurov as Prime Minister? Why did Rumen Radev not appoint Andrey Gyurov in the twenty-fourth year, but appointed the GERB man, Speaker of the National Assembly from their quota, Mr. Glavchev?
Radev's lists
„We see a set of State Security agents. As you know, „We Continue the Change“ has not allowed such people in the party and on its lists since its very foundation. What is more worrying is that in Mr. Radev's lists we see a godfather of the regional coordinator of GERB, Kovachki's right-hand man, people who have gone through GERB and through “Novo Nachola“, and now it has come out that he received donations from people close to “Novo Nachola“, and accepted them. It is very difficult to fight the oligarchy, even when you have a team next to you that is not dependent, and a team that is ready to go to prison, but not to lie. With a team like a disorganized team, half of which are implemented by GERB and “Novo Nachola“, there is no way the oligarchy can fight“.
Assen Vassilev also quotes two ladies who know Mr. Radev extremely well:
Kornelia Ninova: “Radev is a hypocrite. He interfered in the processes in the BSP, leaving the door open for a coalition with GERB“.
Desislava Radeva: "For the record, I am not in the whole scheme, as they sing Absurd. Contact the co-chairs or the one whose name should not be mentioned". I assume that it is about Koprinkov, and maybe Borisov and Peevski, admitted Asen Vassilev. But according to him, more worrying is Mrs. Radeva's second comment: "The problem is not victory, but what you do with the hopes of those who trusted you".
Where was Radev?
"It is very important to realize clearly that talking is one thing, doing it is quite another. Real actions. This is what we have never seen from Mr. Radev so far“, said Assen Vassilev and asked where Radev was when:
When the protests against the budget started, he was watching from the presidency.
When he saw that the protest was successful, he posted on Facebook.
When the protests of the young doctors, who asked for help from all political parties, were going on, we went, stood by them. Mr. Radev was watching from the curtains in the presidency.
When the political prisoners were arrested, together with all Bulgarian citizens in Varna, in Sofia, we came out and defended them. Mr. Radev did not even write a post about Sarafov, let alone go to the protest.
„If the excuse is "There was nothing to do", there is always something to do. At the very least, he should use his right to make a statement to the nation and say: "There cannot be political prisoners in Bulgaria". He didn't even do that," the leader of the PP pointed out.
What AI says about Radev
Finally, Assen Vassilev told the PP youth what ChatGPT had concluded after asking him what this represented as political behavior after Radev's listed actions. The artificial intelligence's answer was:
This behavior resembles political duplicity, opportunism and patriotic rhetoric for cover. In other words, one thing is said publicly - peace, national interest, not to be involved, but in practice another is allowed, justified and done. More characteristic features are: double standards - one message to the people, another real action; political cowardice - not taking a clear and honest position; accommodationism – adapting to moods instead of following principles; shifting responsibility – then hiding behind institutions, procedures or circumstances; populism through fear – using war, crisis and uncertainty to mobilize emotions and deceive people. To put it bluntly, this is the behavior of a person who wants to simultaneously reap the benefits of a decision and avoid its political consequences. Or even more briefly – cowardly, accommodationist and hypocritical political behavior.