36006 | 5 May 2025 | 16:45
In the fall of 2026, Bulgaria will choose its president for the eighth time since 1989. Despite the limited role of the head of state according to the Bulgarian Constitution, presidential elections are always charged with high political expectations. They often lead to a change or at least a shift in the political agenda, either stabilizing or destabilizing individual political forces.
This was most evident in 2001, when Georgi Parvanov, the candidate of the Socialist Party, won against the dominant expectation at the time for the Bulgarian Socialist Party to step down from the political stage. In 2011, Rosen Plevneliev's victory established GERB as the leading factor in Bulgarian politics. However, the election of Rumen Radev five years later showed that the shine of Borisov's party, which had been an undefeated winner in all previous elections, had begun to fade.
To reach the upcoming presidential elections, which will be crucial for GERB and its creator and leader Boyko Borisov. Because once the party returns to power, it must validate its victory in the presidential vote.
Equally crucial are the presidential elections for the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the left as a whole. So far, the century-old party has drawn strength, allowing it to remain a significant factor in Bulgarian politics, precisely thanks to its success in the elections for head of state. At the moment, it is part of a coalition that its leaders call "unbeatable," but the facts show that the left has never, in the last three decades, come out with positives from its participation in executive power.
What can BSP offer now?
Three names of candidates and all three are women - Vice President Iliyana Yotova, former deputy and candidate for president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee Vesela Lecheva, and Nataliya Kiselova, president of the National Assembly, are circulating among the left-wing.
Yotova undoubtedly stands out in this trio. At the time of the election, she will have two successful mandates as vice president behind her. Yotova is the first Bulgarian politician in this position who managed to take it out of the shadow of the head of state, not through scandals - the way it used to be, but with positions. She maximizes the function of vice president. Yotova is a politician of the highest caliber, who has gone through the entire transition period and has managed to maintain her unblemished reputation. She is stable in her positions on both domestic and foreign policy issues. With her, there are no compromises in any direction, no deviations regarding the country's orientation and its national security. Iliyana Yotova grew up as a politician and statesman alongside the Bulgarian democracy.
As Vice President, Yotova stands out particularly when it comes to working with Bulgarian communities abroad. It is remembered how during her first term she did not hesitate to take a position in defense of the study of the Bulgarian language by our compatriots in Ukraine. And recently she was a guest at the presentation of a study on Bulgarian communities in Albania and Kosovo, which she knows well from her visits there.
"Bulgaria does not impose additional conditions on North Macedonia, but wants it to fulfill the European criteria for membership," Yotova said recently at a forum attended by European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. With her position, she defended the Bulgarian interest against the backdrop of increasing pressure on Sofia "not to hinder" the accession of North Macedonia. A few days ago, Yotova was in Shumen, where 1160 years since the baptism of the Bulgarian people and 1170 years since the creation of the Bulgarian alphabet were celebrated. Next to Patriarch Daniil. These celebrations made Yotova's other connections particularly visible - with the scientific and cultural elite of the country. She not only acknowledges the presidential institution at events of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and universities, but from her behavior it is clear that she is deeply concerned with the excitement of the scientific circles.
Iliyana Yotova has gained significant experience in foreign policy as a Member of the European Parliament. And she uses it in her meetings as Vice Prime Minister.
Since her time as an MEP, she has been familiar with issues of national security - she was vice chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, known as LIBE.
Yotova, we emphasize, has not been involved in any scandals, nor has she been tempted to speak more colorfully about any politician. Her words are always measured and accurate, her criticism is balanced and clear, without attacks. Her attitude is equally respectful towards politicians from her own party and towards "outsiders". From the height of her statesmanlike position, Yotova has never stooped to the level of party bickering and has thus earned the respect of the entire political spectrum in our country.
Unlike her predecessors in this post, such as writer Blaga Dimitrova and lawyer Margarita Popova, she never criticizes "her boss", even if she does not agree with his views or actions. Advocating for a political culture, Yotova has consistently adhered to the principle of teamwork with the president and has always stood by his side. Often, where Radev was politically unwanted to speak, Yotova would speak instead.
It is worth noting that entering "Dondoukov" 2, she did not forget that "her heart beats on the left", but that did not prevent her from following a principled state line.
From everything said so far, it is evident that if she runs for president, Iliyana Yotova will be able to rely on the left wing and patriotic vote. With an emphasis on the left. Which has always been a defining characteristic for the protection of the state on Bulgarian soil.
The same electorate, but with a bigger emphasis on "patriotic", would also count on the leader of "Revival" Kostadin Kostadinov, who does not hide his ambitions for the presidential position.
The candidate of GERB, whoever he may be, would undoubtedly highlight the role of the party in defending statehood and maintaining stability.
Which would immediately place Iliyana Yotova, if she is the BSP candidate, in a real dilemma - between "Revival" and GERB. And for these two parties, the elections are decisive. For GERB and BSP it has already been discussed, and Kostadinov, undoubtedly, would want to be ranked amongst the successful sovereigntists in Europe. Which would add authority to his party in European circles, where it already holds a vice-president position in the parliamentary group of sovereigntists in the European Parliament.
The nomination process in BSP is usually a long one - the structures nominate, the National Council considers and approves. It can also happen for the leader to pull out a candidate as a trick up their sleeve at the last moment, canceling all attempts of the main organizations to express their opinion. This is what Ninova did, presenting Rumen Radev in the summer of 2016. At that time, Ninova was leading the Centenarian organization with a firm hand. Today, the party has a legal leader - Atanas Zafirov, but it is no secret to anyone the immense influence that Kiril Dobrev has, even though he is officially an "ordinary deputy" and the head of a parliamentary commission.
Dobrev not only knows the structures well, he has been in politics for a long time and is familiar with the hidden mechanisms of power. Yotova has never fought with Dobrev, but it is no secret to anyone in Stolentnitsa that when she was in his ranks, Yotova often found herself in different camps with Dobrev. It is also not a secret the immense respect she had towards his father - the legend Nikolay Dobrev.
The potential success of Iliyana Yotova as a presidential candidate directly depends on how she will work with Zafirov and Dobrev in today's conditions. And with other factors in the party, standing behind Lecheva and Kiselova.
In the ranks of BSP, it is said that Vessela Lecheva's real ambition is to sit in the presidential chair. And her battle with Stefka Kostadinova for BOC was also subordinate to her.
Nataliya Kiselova, on the other hand, relies on her short political experience, which saves her from old conflicts and enmities to drag as a tail during the campaign. In response to a journalistic question, Kiselova stated that she is ready to be prime minister. The question was related to the "house book," from which the President, according to the constitution, selects candidates for interim prime minister and which the parliament leader is a part of. And anyone who is ready to be prime minister in a country where he is the strong man, by definition, is ready to be president. But they say that after the "t-shirt incident," Kiselova's candidacy has been put on the back burner.
In this trio, Yotova undoubtedly stands out with her qualities and experience. And for the rest, they have to rise to the challenge. But in all cases, if they enter the competition, they will have to meet the high standard set by Yotova.
Mobile verison
RSS
