The fifth President of Bulgaria has entered the Presidency building with the image of a pro-Russian politician due to his speeches in the election campaign and interviews for foreign media that the EU should lift sanctions against Russia and that Crimea is actually part of Russia, because the Russian national flag is hoisted there. Although Bulgaria's new head of state confirmed that his country would continue to be a loyal NATO member when he took oath at the National Assembly, it is still unclear whether he would manage to get rid of that image and continue the Pro-European policy line of former President Rossen Plevneliev, or would stay loyal to the Bulgarian Socialist Party which would result in pro-eastern policy line and international isolation. 

“The big question is whether President Radev will be able to make a gradual transition from the election rhetoric to the status of a President which is associated with real responsibilities, because from now on all his words will be interpreted as a stand of a Bulgarian head of state”, Bulgaria's former Ambassador to Russia and political expert Ilian Vassilev told Radio Bulgaria. “This is the real danger, because as former President Plevneliev recently stated, the International Criminal Court in Hague recognized the annexation of Crimea as an unacceptable act and this definition is valid for the entire system of the international law. President Radev said that the sanctions against Russia should be lifted, but this is not a precise stand, because some sanctions were imposed due to the annexation of Crimea, others are linked with the events in Eastern Ukraine. Some sanctions were imposed on concrete individuals.”

In that sense, Bulgaria's partners in NATO and the EU would not tolerate possible efforts of Bulgaria's new head of state aimed at reaching a difficult political balance and a balance between Europe and Russia.

“The problem of Bulgaria and its Presidents is that confidence in Bulgaria was low when it entered NATO and the EU”, Ilyan Vasilev went on to say. “Bulgaria finds it difficult to integrate its system of values into the Euro-Atlantic one due to the long rule of the “nomenklatura” (nomenclature) in this country. That is why the President will have zero freedom to take specific stands independently from the EU and NATO.”  

However, it is wise to give President Radev certain amount of time, before starting to criticize him, Ilyan Vasilev further said.  

“President Radev is in a difficult situation, because the political party which nominated him for the Presidential elections is now trying to stay away from him. The Bulgarian Socialist Party does not want to enter the election campaign with the image of a party which is part of the interim government which will be appointed by President Radev. Rumen Radev has the great chance to prove his independence in the next 4 or 5 years, because he was not a member of a political party and has not been in politics before. The question is whether he would be able to hold firmly the helm of the presidency and what will be the role of Vice President Iliana Yotova who was part of the socialist party.” 

It is impossible to talk about succession in the Presidential institution at this stage, Ilian Vassilev contends. This is so, because those who supported and nominated Rumen Radev may turn against him. It is important for President Radev to understand in the course of his mandate that the head of state should follow a policy line which is independent from the political parties and is based on the supreme interests of the country, political expert Ilian Vassilev adds.

According to sociologist Andrey Raichev, Bulgaria's new President should put an end to the policy of former President Rossen Plevneliev which was harmful for Bulgaria. Raichev contends that Bulgaria will benefit from its good relations with Russia within the frameworks of the EU, because it imports most of the energy resources from Russia for instance. In Andrey Raichev's words, President Rumen Radev will definitely follow a Euro-Atlantic course. “President Radev has already emancipated himself from the Bulgarian Socialist Party”, Andrei Raichev said and added that he couldn't imagine President Radev following the instructions of BSP leader Kornelia Ninova. The biggest challenge for President Radev is linked with the message he would send with the appointment of the caretaker cabinet, sociologist Raichev further said. “The whole nation will keep an eye on him. That is why he must select not only popular people, but those who are able to do the job”, Andrey Raichev concluded. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov