106262 | 3 March 2026 | 23:06
Stefan Tsanev has always been ruthless - towards authority and towards the people. His words strip our senses, his judgments keep us on edge, his prophecies are shocking. We have often spoken with him about our leaders - petty hustlers, and about the people's lack of confidence that they can rule their own fate; about division and hatred; about our illusions and delusions.
And in this conversation, Stefan Tsanev did not betray himself.
He warned us about the consequences of the choices we would make!
Here are highlights from the interview:
- The delusions of our people repeat themselves and will continue to repeat themselves until the people wake up under the boot of a dictator chosen by themselves.
- Radev follows the well-known fatalistic philosophy: victories are owed to the generals, for defeats the soldiers are to blame.
- Since Radev is an officer - for what he did, there is an accurate word and it is: desertion.
- Society still does not realize the danger of a new authoritarianism, this time under the guise of "democracy".
- The so-called political elite of today, unfortunately, is not the cream of the nation, but the foam of society.
- Being the poorest nation in Europe is not the scariest thing, the scariest thing is if we become the dumbest, simplest nation.
- I feel redundant. Alienated. A foreigner in my own country.
- Mr. Tzanev, how does Bulgaria look like to you today - a parliament with the lowest public trust, governments that cannot even last a year, and a society torn by hate and scandals. How did we get here? - Those who were chosen are not to blame, those who chose them are. The complacency we see in parliament is a wake-up call that should make society pay attention to who they choose to govern them.
- In 2012, you told me: "Our nation is in an amorphous state - without a common goal, without a common will." Has anything changed? - I think so. I believe that the nation is now aware that their apathy has been used by political con artists and is in a state of panic. In this state, they will start making decisions, but there is a danger that they will be hasty, ill-considered, and wrong.
Kavate - there is a danger of hasty and wrong decisions. How do you evaluate the entry of PP-DB into Bulgarian politics, which Radev called "charlatans"? I ask you because many people really believed in their "change", after which disappointment came very quickly. In this sense - what is this characteristic of Bulgarians to easily give their trust to awaited messiahs and then grumble because of their delusions? - I do not want to comment on CC-DB. Everything with them is fake. I feel sorry for the people who don't see this and follow them. And these delusions repeat and will continue to repeat until people wake up under the boot of a dictator, elected by themselves.
- That's exactly what you're saying! Now a new "messiah" is emerging - Rumen Radev. There is no party, no program, we don't know the people around him, but he gathers 33% trust, according to sociologists. Will this "phenomenon" that some of the Bulgarians have fallen for play another bad joke on us?
- Rumen Radev 9 years as a foul-mouthed old woman wandered from port to port (from TV to TV) to insult and curse. He unleashed his charlatans on Bulgaria, gave them the power - why then accuse them, and not himself? He also caused trouble for us with the Botos - not him again, others are to blame. Remember my words, if they choose him and if he fails, he will again blame others and not himself. This is the infamous fortune teller philosophy: victories are due to the generals, while defeats are the fault of the soldiers.
From a historical point of view - to descend from the top of the state, to betray the trust of the nation, in order to become a party leader, what is this an expression of? - The reason why this person is an officer - for what he did, there is an exact word and it is: desertion. Didn't he swear before the National Assembly and in front of the whole nation, that in all his actions he will be guided solely by the interests of the people?
Why did he betray his people and chase after his personal interests, his uncontrollable passion for power? Is there a danger for Bulgaria to fall into the trap of authoritarianism again, this time under the guise of "democracy"? And does society realize this? - I don't know. I think society is still unaware of this danger. In my long life, I have witnessed dictators and none of them came to power with a weapon in hand. The people chose them. Even Hitler - the German people chose him. And notice - again as a savior. Enough with saviors! This led me to write the bloody comedy "The Conspiracy of Caligula" 12 years ago, in which I fiercely accuse the people of choosing their own dictators. This bloody comedy has long been played abroad, but not in Bulgaria. I was refused to stage it because the audience/people would be disgusted with themselves. Thank God, these days an independent theater group is starting rehearsals for my "Caligula", and I will be happy if I live to see the premiere.
- Dictatorship goes hand in hand with revenge. Can we put the first actions of the interim government of Andrey Gyurov under this sign, as has already been accused? - This interim government serves Mr. Radev, clearing his way to power and doing so with unstoppable enthusiasm. Changes in all regional governors, now changing the district chiefs of the Ministry of Interior, what else? And you will see - Gyurov and his ministers will not remain orphans, they will be rewarded, the most diligent to stay in the current government of Radev in their current positions.
- For the first time we have a female president. She is in a very complex situation. Do her actions and decisions command respect? And what do you think will determine whether she will be able to win her own presidential term? - It is too early to say if she will win her own presidential term. It depends on how dependent she will be on Radev. If she breaks free from him - I think she is intelligent and strong-willed enough to do so. If not - she may lose everything.
- What will future chroniclers write about the current personalities at the forefront of Bulgarian politics? They will write that there are no prominent figures. Today's so-called political elite, unfortunately, is not the cream of the nation, but the froth of society. The froth, as you know, always rises to the top of the pot. For comparison, remember what kind of personalities, regardless of their political views, were in the first freely elected national assemblies. Where are the writers like Valeri Petrov and Yordan Radichkov in the current national assemblies? Where are the artists like Svetlin Rusev and Georgi Baev? Where are the actors like Stefan Danailov, Petar Slabakov and Vili Tsankov? Where are scientists like Blagovest Sendov, and where are doctors like Prof. Chirkov? Where are the lawyers like Ekaterina Mikhailova and Georgi Bliznashki? Where are the philosophers like Zhelyu Zhelev, and where are the martyrs and idealists like Petar Dertliev? They are nowhere to be found. Every year at least five times we hear that our talented children are winning the world math and computer science olympiads, where are they? They are not here. How can they be, when the leaders of parties arrange the personalities in the electoral lists according to the principle "no one above me!"? Being the poorest nation in Europe is not the scariest, the scariest thing is if we become the dumbest, simplest nation. Democracy does not mean a simple rule. And we are moving there with fast steps.
- Why do Bulgarian intellectuals stay silent about what is happening in our society, in our country? - This also applies to me. I feel useless. Ostracized. A stranger in my own homeland. On this occasion - here is a final poem for you.
CONDEMNED TO DEATH BY SILENCE
Someone had said that we are the country of killed poets. By execution. By hanging. By burning. (Happy ones - condemned to immortality!)
For the poet, it doesn't matter if they are alive or dead. If they are remembered, if they are read - then you are alive, but if you are not read, if you are not remembered - then you are dead.
Today they are not executed. They are not enraged. They are not burned. They do not even forbid. They simply do not read. Your voice is a voice in the desert. To your outcry - the answer is silence. It's as if you don't exist. As if you never existed. And there will be no more of you. Silence. (Apathy is more terrifying than censorship.)
Are the poets unworthy of you, my people, or are you unworthy of them? I don't know. I don't argue. I don't judge. I don't accuse.
I just say: we are the country of poets, condemned to death by silence.
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