The New Year's address of President Rumen Radev gains special political weight this year. Because he has already announced that he may announce the creation of his party "when we least expect it". Such a statement cannot be underestimated - it is a direct signal for a radical rearrangement of the political map and a possible serious challenge to all existing political forces.
And here it is good to draw a parallel with the historic New Year's Eve of 1999, when Boris Yeltsin surprisingly handed over power to Vladimir Putin in his address. Then the entire political context changed overnight, and the consequences have been felt for 25 years. If Radev chooses such a "moment of surprise", this will not be just a declaration - it will be a strategic move that will put all parties in a situation of reaction instead of initiative.
The fact that this possibility is being discussed just days before the New Year's address increases tension and uncertainty. This can be interpreted as a political maneuver to “tie the hands“ of the ruling party and divert public attention from the ongoing protests and challenges. If the president does indeed announce a party, it will have not only symbolic significance, but also a real impact on the next elections, changing the political timing from presidential to early parliamentary elections.
In this context, it is clear that such a move would be politically explosive. Radev could use the moment to position himself as the leader of a new, strongly united political movement that would reorganize the balance of power in the country. And as in the case of Yeltsin and Putin, this could happen in a single, well-considered moment – in the eyes of society, when “nobody expects it“, but the consequences would be immediate and lasting.
Radev could to repeat history, but with a Bulgarian political touch – and if he does, the New Year's address will not be just a traditional wish for health and luck, but a strategic political event that will change the game for years to come.
How Yeltsin Surrendered Power to Putin
The Russian president usually records his New Year's address on December 28. This was also planned in 1999. However, Yeltsin interrupted and said that there would be a new recording on December 31. An archived material from RIA Novosti provides an overview of the events.
Later, Yeltsin said that he had never kept a document on his desk for as long as this one – about choosing his successor.
Initially, the list consisted of three people - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Chief of Staff Alexander Voloshin and his predecessor in this position - Valentin Yumashev. He invited the three to his residence in the Moscow region – Gorky No. 9. He proposed to Putin twice. The initial offer was made on December 14. However, then the future president replied: „I don't think I'm ready for such a decision, Boris Nikolayevich... This is a rather difficult fate“. As Putin later recalled, Yeltsin was very surprised by the refusal.
On December 31, 1999, Yeltsin did not sleep well and got up very early. After breakfast, he was getting ready to go to work, and his daughter Tatyana asked him if he would tell them what he was up to.
Yeltsin approached his wife Naina and told them: „I have made a decision, I am resigning, I will make a television address, watch it!“
Already in his office in the Kremlin, Yeltsin took out of his pocket a folded piece of paper on which he had jotted down his thoughts during the night The door opened, Putin entered the office, and Yeltsin finally announced his decision to his closest people.
Then he recorded the postponed television statement. In it, he announced that he had made a decision after long and painful reflection - that he was resigning precisely on the last day of the outgoing 20th century. A meeting with Patriarch Alexei followed, the handover of the nuclear briefcase and a farewell lunch with the ministers.
And at midnight Putin's first New Year's address was heard, in which he said: „In three months there will be elections in Russia. I draw attention to the fact that there will not be a vacuum in power in the country for a minute. There has not been and there will not be“.
That's how it was in Russia, and in Bulgaria…