Rumen Radev Re-elected President of Bulgaria | News from Germany about Europe

The incumbent President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev wins the presidential elections. According to preliminary data from the CEC, in the second round, held on Sunday, November 21, Radev received about 68 percent of the vote. The fight against corruption in the poorest country in the European Union remains at the center of his policy.

Bulgarians voted “for change, break with corruption, robbery and lawlessness, for expelling the mafia from power,” Radev said on the evening of November 21. According to him, Bulgaria is “breaking the deadlock.”

Radev’s opponent Anastas Gerdzhikov, who was supported by the conservative party GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) of ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, won 32 percent of the vote and admitted defeat. At the same time, he said that “the entire state apparatus” supported Radev.

The winners of the parliamentary elections hoped for the re-election of Radev

From an observer point of view, Radev’s re-election could mark the beginning of a phase of stability in Bulgaria – especially after the unexpected victory in the parliamentary elections on November 14 of the newly formed anti-corruption coalition “We Continue Change”. “The whole development of Bulgaria depends entirely on the results of the presidential elections,” said its co-founder Kiril Petkov, who is a likely contender for the post of head of government, on November 21.

During the reign of the conservative prime minister Borisov, Radev was his staunch opponent. Rumen Radev is considered one of the European leaders close to the Kremlin.

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Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
The beginning of triumph
“We won!” – announced Christo (two spellings meet: Christo and Christo) on February 25, 1994. It took an American artist of Bulgarian origin 23 years to obtain permission to hold the action. After a heated debate, the Bundestag gave the green light to an unusual project. On June 17, 1995, trucks with rolls of fabric for drapery appeared outside the parliament building in Berlin.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Drapery master
In Germany, Christo’s initiative met initially with strong opposition. The artist had to personally convince many German politicians of the expediency of the project. But in a roll-call vote, a majority of the Bundestag deputies approved Christo’s plans.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Freedom symbol
Christo became interested in the Reichstag during the Cold War. In 1978, a draped model of a building built in 1894 was shown in Zurich. For Christo, the Reichstag, in which the Weimar Republic was proclaimed in 1918, was a symbol of freedom. This theme runs through all of his work after his flight in 1951 from communist Bulgaria.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Reichstag Packed Collection
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the “packaging of the Reichstag”, a retrospective exhibition dedicated to the history of the project was held in Berlin in 2015. The exhibits include photographs, models, drawings, as well as the remains of fabric and fasteners that were used to drape the building in 1995. Christo and Jean-Claude also then came to Berlin on the occasion of the anniversary.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Art with an expiration date
All of Christo’s works exist for a short time. Hristo has materialized his protest against property! Anyone could see his art for free. It doesn’t belong to anyone. And constancy is property. The Bundestag remained draped for only 14 days.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Record
On June 23, 1995, more than 500 thousand people gathered in Berlin to witness how the last of 70 rolls of silver fabric with a total area of more than 100 thousand square meters were reinforced on the Reichstag building. The “package” was tied with an 8-kilometer bright blue rope. In 14 days – 5 million visitors! This was a record number for an art event in such a short time.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Draped air
“Discovery through concealment” refers to the artistic method of Christo. The very first draped objects were quite mundane cans and bottles. At the contemporary art exhibition documenta in Kassel in 1968, the artist draped … the air. The cylinder, popularly nicknamed “sausage”, had a volume of 5600 cubic meters.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Curtain in the mountains
Since the late 1960s, Christo and Jean-Claude’s projects have grown in scope. In Australia, they draped the coastline for several kilometers. In the Rocky Mountains of the American state of Colorado, a curtain was pulled hundreds of meters across the valley. All projects were financed by the artists themselves – through the sale of drawings, photographs and layouts.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
A fresh look
Christo and Jean-Claude wrapped their objects in such a way that the drapery would allow the outlines to be guessed. Understatement stimulated fantasy. The aesthetics of the drapery also played an important role. In 1985, they packed the famous Pont Neuf – depending on the weather conditions, the oldest bridge in Paris literally reappeared every second.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Dangerous art
At times, Christo and Jean-Claude’s projects were risky. During the installation of 3,000 umbrellas in Japan and California, one of the workers died. 450 people, including professional climbers, helped to “pack” the Reichstag.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Gate in the park
Hristo was also engaged in landscape design. In 2005, he transformed New York City’s central park into a Japanese temple complex with numerous gates adorned with flowing fabric. Hristo has been waiting for permission to implement this project since 1980 – longer than the “drapery” of the Reichstag. Environmental considerations have often played a significant role in permitting projects.

Christo: from the Reichstag in Berlin to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Latest project
His last work was to be a packed Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was planned to wrap it in 25 thousand square meters of silver-blue fabric. The installation was scheduled for 2020, but due to the pandemic, the project was postponed until 2021. In the office of Christo they say that, despite his death, the idea will be realized!
Author: Ella Volodina, Daria Bryantseva