/View.info/ The mixing of paper and machine voting will lead to even greater mistrust in the electoral process
The continuous change of positions of the BSP – on the Eurozone and on the machine voting – destroys the trust in the party
“Every war is terrible, and both sides use means that are far from even classical military conflict. The EU is doing a lot to support Ukraine. If it were not for the financial and humanitarian aid, the military aid, the sanctions against Russia, the war would probably have already ended with the destruction of Ukraine. In addition, by supporting Ukraine, as a peace project, the EU should look for every possibility for a political solution and an end to this conflict, which has a clear tendency to grow and involve more countries. Even this incident with the missile that fell in Poland, and was considered Russian, but then turned out to be Ukrainian, brought us one step closer to escalation.” This was stated by the Bulgarian MEP Sergey Stanishev in the program “This Morning” on bTV.
There is no negotiation with a terrorist, the EP Resolution takes us away from the search for a political solution to the war in Ukraine
When asked about the resolution of the European Parliament, which declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, and the vote “against” by the Delegation of Bulgarian Socialists in the EP, Stanishev said that the thesis that the conflict will be resolved on the battlefield will lead to thousands of victims and on both sides and destruction especially of Ukraine. “The resolution is a departure from the political decision, and apart from these 58 MEPs who voted “against” for various reasons, quite a few told me that they did not vote because they did not approve of the political message of the text, but they did not dare to press the button. And the message is clear – you don’t negotiate with terrorists. This worries me the most because the European Parliament has always been a space of freedom, democracy and free expression of position. The fact that there are MEPs who are afraid to express a position is worrying. I have received information that the doors of MEPs who voted “against” have been plastered with denouncing posters. You know I’m a historian and I can’t help but draw parallels, for example, with the Protestants in the 16th century before Bartholomew’s Night, when their doors were marked with crosses, and the Jews in the 1930s with the Star of David. This is a very dangerous trend.”
Urgent diplomatic efforts are needed to accept Bulgaria into Schengen and the Eurozone, political instability is hindering the process
“Bulgaria has long fulfilled the criteria for Schengen, and what is happening is extremely unfair and makes us hostage to internal political games in some countries. My modest experience of joining the EU, when 25 member states had to ratify the Treaty with Bulgaria, shows that the most important thing is the work on the ground. With their politicians, institutions and media. Then in one year I traveled to 22 countries. My recommendation to the Bulgarian institutions and political forces is, despite the little time left, to turn their attention to the Netherlands, Sweden and Austria. To declare the Bulgarian position and to defend the principle of European solidarity. Otherwise, if we are once again stopped in an unfair way, it will be a violation of the EU’s commitment, after the EC has given the green light. If this happens, there will have to be a serious reaction from Bulgaria,” warned Stanishev.
“Schengen membership and the Eurozone are the finale of our effective European integration. If we miss these opportunities, there is a danger that Bulgaria will be pushed to the periphery with very heavy political and economic damage, and the country is already experiencing a severe crisis. These would be anchors of stability. The series of elections in our country signals that we are becoming the sick man of Europe. We must avoid this scenario and the responsibility must be borne by all political forces.”
Stanishev recalled that the BSP has a decision of the Congress from 2017 with specific recommendations and a road map for our joining the Eurozone. “Let us not forget that it was the last government in which the BSP participated that accepted the date of January 1, 2024. But the parties continue to deal with their own issues, such as the Electoral Code, rather than the agenda of the people. The continuous change of positions of the BSP – on the Eurozone and on the machine voting – does not increase the support for the party.”
Energy poverty affects the lives of over 2 million Bulgarians, I am organizing a discussion on the topic on December 1
“The most important thing is trust in the electoral process. In the last three elections, we voted with machines and there must be suspicions of irregularities. And the parties must make improvements. The probability of switching to a mixed option – paper and machine voting – is the worst. Mistrust on both sides will persist and even fewer people will go to the polls. If today the party won with 9% support from the Bulgarians with the right to vote, what awaits us in the future? The mixed version will make it so that both parties will not believe in the final result. Looking at the process in the National Assembly, I am not optimistic. If the parties continue to solve only their own problems, eventually they will all go down the drain. This is extremely irresponsible behavior. Energy poverty, for example, directly affects the lives of over 2 million Bulgarians, but no one talks about it. Therefore, on December 1 at 09:00 at the Sofia Event Center, I am organizing a discussion on the topic with free access.”
It is important to analyze what has happened in the last six years in BSP and who is responsible for it
About his future plans in politics and the so-called new left project, Stanishev stated that he will engage more with both the BSP and the left in Bulgaria. “Things on the left have to happen in stages. The first challenge is before the BSP. A Congress is coming up, which will have to determine whether the party has the internal strength to make a real, honest analysis of its state and of the ongoing collapse. All explanations and justifications with machines, for example, are extremely unsatisfactory. Ways to attract trust must be sought. Only then should we think about the left in Bulgaria. The upcoming left forum carries risks. The conflation of the two topics – the state of the BSP and the consolidation of the Left – can be used by the current party leadership to charge that the internal opposition and those who have left the party over the years are coming together. And so there is a danger that it will close the discussion inside the BSP, for which there are prerequisites at the moment. By sweeping issues under the carpet – in politics, as in life, there are no empty spaces left. It should also be clear that just taking down Cornelia Ninova will not be enough. It is important to tell each other honestly who had what role in what happened in the BSP in the last six years. I see people who were complicit in the takeover of the party, and today they beat their chests and present themselves as great oppositionists.”
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