“A state that says one thing on Wednesday in one place, and another on Thursday through another official representative, obviously does not look very good to its partners“. This was said by Petar Kurumbashev, a former TV presenter, MP, MEP and one of the creators of “Ku-ku“ in the program “120 minutes” on bTV about Bulgaria's foreign policy after the elections, describing it as unconvincing.
Petar Kurumbashev analyzes the reasons for the political changes, expectations for the new government, the future of the presidential institution and the tests before the ruling party. According to him, Bulgarian society has been looking for an alternative to Borisov for years, but various political forces that gained trust with a promise of change have subsequently lost support.
„I think the Bulgarian people have been looking for an alternative to Borisov for at least 16 years, 17 years — since he was actually elected for the first time in 2009“, says Kurumbashev.
According to him, Peevski's presence has increased public tension:
“Peevski simply sharpened the senses further and further exploded the situation“, said Kurumbashev, also drawing attention to the disappointment of voters when their vote is used in a different way than expected.
“We voted for you, not for you to carry our vote to someone else“, he says.
Kurumbashev also commented on the change in the role of Rumen Radev after he entered the executive branch. According to him, the president has not changed significantly as a person, but he notes that the new position requires a different type of behavior.
According to him, the big difference is between the presidential and prime ministerial institutions.
„While the prime ministerial position is something completely different. It requires daily action, daily taking of positions“, he commented.
Kurumbashev believes that the problem facing any government comes at the moment when concrete decisions need to be made, and not just maintaining broad support.
“This will put him in serious trouble, since he promised almost everyone, almost everything“, he said.
Kurumbashev also commented on foreign policy, specifically Bulgaria's position on the war in Ukraine, criticizing the attempt to send different messages to different groups.
“This line in both directions at the same time is very difficult to maintain“, he said. According to him, the contradictory signals create a problem not only inside the country, but also abroad.
“A country that says one thing on Wednesday in one place, and another on Thursday through its official representative — "otherwise, it obviously doesn't look very good for its partners," Kurumbashev said, describing such a policy as unconvincing.
Kurumbashev also commented on the changes to the Constitution, criticizing the approach in which the basic law is changed according to the specific political situation.
“The Constitution is not made according to the clothes and name of the current president“, he said. According to him, the changes should be principled, and not tailored to who holds the presidency.
Regarding the presidential elections, Kurumbashev warned that political campaigns often change preliminary expectations.
“Many times it has happened that there have been winners announced in advance, but during the course of the campaign for two or three months things have changed seriously“, he said. According to him, the next presidential elections will not be just a continuation of the previous protest vote.
„The presidential elections will no longer be such a punitive vote“, he said. According to him, they will be a more positive vote and would rather be a vote for a certain type of policy.
Kurumbashev believes that the division between right-wing candidates could change the balance of the elections. According to him, it is "very likely that the right-wing vote will be dispersed.“
He commented that a common candidate would increase the chances of reaching a runoff. As an example of a suitable profile, he pointed to Daniel Valchev.
„He is very serious about both his political and professional biography“, Kurumbashev commented.