President Iliyana Yotova announced that she will be nominated as a presidential candidate by an initiative committee.
„For me, there is no doubt that „Progressive Bulgaria“ will support her candidacy. The interaction between Radev and Yotova has a 9-year history. This is a very good tandem. I don't believe that they will split up and bring such joy to their opponents“, commented in „This Morning“ sociologist Andrey Raichev.
„She needs to find a vice president. She is in a favorable position in this regard. She can choose him not by person, but by type. I don't believe she will take a military man, and in my opinion she will bet on an intellectual“, the sociologist believes.
According to him, Iliyana Yotova does not want to be Tsetska Tsacheva, who was nominated by Boyko Borisov as a candidate for president.
„She is running as an independent person and has announced a clear political program and the focus is on national security. Besides, she is not from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, but from the Bulgarian Socialist Party,” he commented.
„It seems very likely that the Bulgarian Socialist Party will support Yotova, but I would wait to see what Prime Minister Rumen Radev will say,“ said political scientist Assoc. Prof. Stoycho Stoychev.
„Various representatives of the Bulgarian Socialist Party say that in their personal capacity this is the candidate, but we have not heard from Radev and whether he will stand behind this candidacy,“ he pointed out.
According to him, it is strategically correct to declare a candidacy, and not to be a person nominated by someone.
„The question is whether this support that you consolidate behind you is sincere or not. For me, the question is whether the Bulgarian Socialist Party’s support will be sincere and whether the people of this party will work for this candidacy. If this does not happen, we may see a turnaround in the fall“, the political scientist believes.
„I think the initiative is already in Yotova. This is a way for her not to emerge as the candidate of the PB, but as the candidate of the BSP as well, as it is emerging. In this sense, this preemptive action of hers gave her the initiative“, said political scientist Georgi Prodanov.
„In this sense, it is a very strong personal act. Whatever the motives for her coming out and saying that she is running, it means that from now on she is the elephant in the room, who predetermines the rules“, he believes.
According to him, the PB are practically up against the wall – whether to be accused of disloyalty if for some reason they do not support her, or simply to end the topic with a party forum where they agree with her decision to be an independent candidate.
“This also puts her in a different role – not as Rumen Radev's president, but the president who can afford to play an independent role“, believes Prodanov.