Four socialist candidates enter a fierce battle for the leadership position in BSP, vacant after Cornelia Ninova's resignation and subsequent exclusion from the century-old party.
Atanas Zafirov, Borislav Gutzanov, Kaloyan Pargov and Kristian Vigenin will compete in a direct election or at a congress - the format of the election is not yet clear. In media appearances over the past week, all four have shown clear or subtle indications of their ambition for leadership.
Atanas Zafirov has the advantage of currently holding the position of chairman. In BSP, the chairman always has at least one more trump card in the leadership race. There has never been a case in which the head of the party has stood as an "oppositionist".
Borislav Gutsanov, despite the weak performance of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in his hometown of Varna, where he usually leads the candidate-deputy list, is also not to be underestimated. He is the organizational secretary of the party, and therefore, closest to the heart of the party apparatus, or at least to its control.
Because of their desire to be recognized as equals, Zafirov and Gutsanov are currently co-chairs of the parliamentary group of the "BSP-United Left", even though it only has 20 members. This is something the Socialists do not remember - to not have a single leader in their parliamentary group. The competition between the two is so strong that neither wants to give up in favor of the other. Because whoever is the leader of the group in parliament, all folders with the information on cases "around the world and with us" go to him and thus he becomes one step ahead in political awareness. And in a battle, this is very important. In addition, the chairman always sits in the first row in the plenary hall, even if the parliamentary group is only ten members.
Kaloyan Pargov is a long-time chairman of the largest and most authoritative red organization - the one in the capital. However, his influence is not only in Sofia. Pargov has been perceived for years as an alternative to the current course in the century-old party, not only because of his disputes with Ninova. For several years now, he has been at the head of the influential left-wing brain trust - the Strategic Institute for National Policies and Ideas.
There are chances for the leadership position also for Kristian Vigenin, who is currently the deputy chair of the party. He made an impression during the campaign for the 51st National Assembly, where Vigenin, who is a Member of the European Parliament, gave up Brussels and actively participated in pre-election events. After the vote, Vigenin wrote a letter to the Ministry of Interior, signaling violations with specific examples at polling stations. The only one in the left-wing, perhaps, to make a clear statement on the honesty and transparency of the vote - as a Member of the European Parliament he cannot participate in the signature for its annulment to the Constitutional Court. Moreover, during Ninovalieva's time, Vigenin was talked about as her successor, mentioned by her.
The scales in the battle for the leadership position will also tilt with the influence of people who will not participate directly in it.
At the moment, there are 4-5 groups fighting in the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which became clearly evident during the formation of the candidate lists before the last elections. Each of these groups has an informal leader.
One of them is Kiril Dobrev, who was a rival to Ninova in the direct competition for party leader years ago. However, Dobrev had no intention of running for leadership and instead supported Atanas Zafirov.
Zafirov gained points on the Euro-Atlantic line and it was no coincidence that he was the chair of the parliamentary committee on defense in the 47th National Assembly. "Zafirov's group is the strongest and he will become the party's leader at the congress," was the rumor from the party's headquarters.
Additionally, Zafirov had the support of influential red dynasties. Valeri Zhablyanov, who is no longer a part of the BSP, but still had influence in it, intended to use it to support Atanas Zafirov, our sources say. Zafirov is ahead of his competitors and has serious connections with influential circles overseas who are coming into power.
Gutsanov was also convinced of his success and even declared that he would win the battle for the presidency of the congress, because no one could break through his delegate group from Varna, as well as his influence among delegates from Targovishte and Shumen. However, neither of these cities have a deputy mandate - and for both elections, Gutsanov was in charge. In Shumen, he was even the leader of the list. A deputy from the left explained to Epicenter.bg According to sources, Gutsanov had relied on the support of the pro-Russian lobby of Rumen Petkov, who is the strongest pro-Kremlin figure.
On the external political influence scale, he is competing with Vigenin, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs who has been on familiar terms with the secrets of the Brussels corridors of power for many years.
Although the group of candidates for the leadership post of "Positano" 20 is already taking shape, it is still unclear how the new chairman will be elected - directly, as provided by the current statute, or by the congress, as was the practice in older times. However, in order for the chairman to be elected by the congress again, the statute must be changed. And this can only happen at a congress.
And here come the options.
Who will be this congress - the current 50th or the new 51st.
BSP Party Holds Report-Election Meetings Until Mid-December, During Which New Local Leadership and Delegates for the 51st Congress Are Elected. Both Election Options Find Support Among Regular Socialists and Candidates for the Leadership Position.
Zafirov Preferred to Convene the Current 50th Congress, Change the Statutes, and Have the New Chairman Elected by Delegates.
On the Other Hand, Gutsanov was a Fan of Direct Elections, Believing that the Party Loved Him. Together with Vigenin, They Disrupted the Quorum at the Last Meeting of the National Council. The Council Was Supposed to Make a Decision to Convene the 50th Congress on December 1st, but It Did Not Happen, as the Ranks in the Hall Were Fractured.
And So, the Last Meeting of the National Council on the Significant Date of November 10th Was Dispersed Without Making a Decision. "I am not Kornelia Ninova, I will not make up quorums," commented Atanas Zafirov.
The statute of the Bulgarian Socialist Party has a particularity, adopted more than a quarter of a century ago - its Congresses are permanent and can be convened by the decision of the National Council.
For the first time, this statutory norm was activated in December 2001, shortly after the then leader of the BSP, Georgi Parvanov, was elected president. Later, as chairman, Sergei Stanishev used Congresses to mobilize the party's activists in pre-election situations. The direct election of the Socialist No. 1 was imposed during the time of Kornelia Ninova and it is not by chance that she recently warned her party members: "Be careful not to have your direct election taken away from you!"
So the dispute between direct and indirect election is currently ongoing and is confusing the roadmap for the election of a chairman. Some of the arguments of those who want to maintain the current situation are that a new constitution must be registered in court, which could take 3-4 months. Therefore, if new parliamentary elections are held, it is unlikely that the constitution will be changed - the left does not need any disputes about the legitimacy of its leader. This will not contribute to increasing its popularity in any way. On the contrary - it will fuel stories like "only a handful of people remain and they can't agree on who should lead the fatherland".
41290 | 19 Nov. 2024 | 15:40
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