– Mr. Bozhankov, your main opponent is a long-term acting mayor, and the “Denkov” cabinet also gave him huge funding under the municipal program. How do you rate your chances against such an opponent?
– GERB engage their influence in the local government by elevating the current mayor of the city. And they do not hide that he has no intention of becoming a representative of the people. This is offensive both to the voters and to the citizens of Burgas. In no way do I regret that during the government of academician Denkov, record funds were given for public water infrastructure, roads and other municipal expenses. They are not for one mayor, but for all citizens.
– What will you fight for as a deputy who represents citizens of Burgas in the parliament?
– As a lawyer, I am obliged to pay attention to something. Our Constitution says that when elected, the people’s representative becomes one of the entire Bulgarian people. He does not represent only his constituents or a particular locality. It is guided by the interests of the people.
The challenges facing the development of the port infrastructure are related to the acceptance of Bulgaria into Schengen and the accelerated construction of infrastructure. Foreign tourists are facilitated when they use the single European currency. Bulgaria is working on common projects for the reception of citizens of Israel for rehabilitation. There, the military conflict involved over 500,000 people who were rotated and needed rest and recovery. Bulgaria can host many of them outside the active tourist season. Burgas needs an economy even outside the active holiday season. These examples lead us to one conclusion – the development of the district is related to global issues, because the Burgas district and its potential is of such a scale.
– And what is the difference between this campaign and the previous ones – in the 7th election, what do you tell people differently and what is their reaction?
– The difference is that more and more people are saying “I’m fed up, I won’t vote”. As a result of the low turnout, insane political formations enter and the formation of a regular government becomes impossible. I have recently returned from a visit to Bessarabia. The children of the Bessarabian Bulgarians study in bomb shelters, their brothers and fathers are at the front. And yet, I didn’t hear them complain, ask what Bulgaria and Ukraine gave them. They only told what they were doing to preserve their culture and traditions and to protect their land and life. Against this background, we cannot spare 15 minutes for our motherland and vote? Voting is our duty to Bulgaria, not a pampering. There is also another difference. The choice this time is not in the classic categories of “left and right”. The choice is literally between a path to the failed, eastern dictatorships or a free and united Europe.
– And how do you explain to your children that you are so often in elections and “spin” mandates so quickly, without actually having any results?
– My eldest son will soon turn 12, the youngest is 4. I have never been asked why there are frequent elections. They only ask me why I’m not at home. And this does not only happen in elections. When one takes this path, one pays a huge price. She is the one. However, we all know why – because of our common home. Bulgaria.
– Who should compromise in order to have a government in the 51st National Assembly?
– There is no better example of compromise than the formation of Academician Denkov’s government. We paid the price for this compromise. In order for Bulgaria to have a regular government, we lost a huge part of our voters. I don’t regret it, but we’re not naive either. Academician Denkov’s government was overthrown because GERB refused to sign a judicial reform with a specific deadline. Our compromise was right up there, and that hasn’t changed.
It is worrying that it seems like a big compromise for GERB to commit to the three anti-corruption laws that we are insisting on in order to go to Bulgaria and the money under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
– You have reported to the prosecutor’s office for many things, most recently because of the scenes of There Is Such a People and Revival on the last working day of the parliament. What outcome do you expect?
– I am conducting civil cases against the pro-Russian party Vazrazhdane. I have directed a number of reports for preaching an anti-democratic ideology. Their visits to Putin’s party, while Russia has declared Bulgaria an Enemy. Other reports because I was violently taken away from the floor in a previous parliament. Therefore, since they did not receive an adequate answer until now, it was only a matter of time before they came to this – to terminate the meeting by force, and Bulgaria lost money on the PVA. To pull out cables. To shout at presenters on national air. We are obliged, as a society, to categorically oppose aggression and attempts to turn Bulgaria into a satellite of Moscow. Because that’s exactly the goal. I do it. I have filed another report, it is being worked on and I will testify soon. They understand from this – categorical and uncompromising resistance.
– Outside of politics – you have said that the situation with homeless animals breaks your heart and you have ideas for creating a private animal shelter. When do you see it? Is there life outside of politics while being a politician?
– Outside of politics, I am the chairman of the Association of the Recycling Industry in Bulgaria and I work on problems related to the circular economy. When I returned from my meetings with Bessarabian Bulgarians, my brother and I decided to work on organizing children’s camps. The children are traumatized by the war and we want to bring as many as possible to Bulgaria. Against this backdrop, I admit that our dream of establishing a private animal shelter has been delayed. However, I am convinced that one day we will realize it. A reform of the legislation is also necessary, it is unacceptable in the 21st century in European Bulgaria that there are still suffering homeless animals on the streets.
