53838 | 2 Jan. 2026 | 17:54

He had the historic opportunity, as we move from one era to another, to show his leadership, to calm the nation, to instill courage, to tell them that together we will overcome the difficulties, that as a community we have chosen our

 I was sure that President Rumen Radev would not announce the creation of his own political project in his New Year's address to the Bulgarian people, which has been talked about for years and which he warned us he would announce when we least expect it.

 Why did Radev not do it now, when it is known that his party's preparation is in progress, some of the public attitudes are turned towards him as the new Savior, and some sociologists have found 1 million voters in his political basket who will sweep away the status quo and already saw him with 121 deputies in the next parliament.

 The reasons are several and I have already mentioned them, but I will list them again:

 First - it would be a total collision with the Constitution when the head of state exercises his right to address the nation to congratulate them on upcoming holidays, mixing this right with a personal party project announcement. Not that Radev has not violated the Constitution before, but this would be a drastic own goal.

 Second - Radev is currently in the constitutional procedure of consultations for appointing government mandates. He is expected to name the future acting Prime Minister, and not just another political party. If he had decided to participate in the elections now with his formation, Radev should have resigned before the start of this procedure and well before the appointment of an acting Prime Minister. Otherwise, there is a conflict of interest - for the president to appoint a prime minister who will organize the elections, in which he will participate as a party leader. However critical we may be of Radev, he has still taken an oath as the head of state, he is the supreme Commander-in-chief - his military chip cannot allow all of this to be trampled on by himself personally.

 Third - Radev is not sure of his success now. The energy of the protest did not point him as a leader, did not recognize him as the new messiah. Radev has been at the top of the state for 9 years, of which he held the helm of the executive power for almost four years, with all the negative consequences from that. In this sense, Radev is not an alternative to the status quo, Radev is part of this status quo - and, moreover, he has become entangled in it with his wrong political, economic, and administrative moves, in a way that none of his predecessors has. Part of the opposition is ready to use him as a weapon against Borisov and Peevski, but that does not mean that they will embrace him as their leader afterwards.

 Fourth - Radev is not a leader. In his first term, his presidency was given to him by Ninova and Yotova with the help of BSP and MRF, and in his second - the credit goes to charlatans who swore by him and then renounced him. More than half of his current rating is institutional. Stepping onto the party field, Radev stands beside Borisov, Peevski, Kostadinov, Asen Vasilev and must show what makes him better than them. If they are the mafia, he should at least say what the "Path of the Silk Cocoon" is. So far, Radev's behavior has been a denial of parties and their leaders, and in his speeches he resorts to hate against them on a low level.

 A new party means new ideas, a new cause, new messages, a new dressing of society with positivism. Have you heard anything positive from Radev? Have you recognized him as a visionary, innovator? Have you seen at least one cause worth following in his words? The idea - for Radev to come and sweep away all the current ones, is not only unproductive, it is deceptive. To expect that Radev, appearing on the party scene, will fix the country, is a cruel deception. Radev cannot create anything constructive, because by nature he is a destroyer. He is prepared to wage wars, not to build peace. Therefore, since stepping into the public-political arena in Bulgaria, he has constantly been at war with someone: with Borisov, with Ninova, with charlatans, with the right, with Peevski. Radev has not built a single bridge in society, quite the opposite - he detonates all possible alliances in the state, with the idea of shining as the only political leader.

 What did Radev do on New Year's Eve? He delivered such a malicious, gloomy and misanthropic speech, which shook everyone, even those who sympathize with him. To speak about the mafia and protests when one should "caress" the people with love, is just further proof that Radev simply has no soul for this nation. He had a historic chance, as we move from one era to another, to show his leadership, to calm the nation, to inspire courage, to tell them that together we will overcome the challenges, that as a community we have chosen our path and we will walk it together. We didn't hear anything like that from Rumen Radev.

 We heard it three hours earlier from Dimitar Radev, the governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, who delivered a true statesman's speech on the doorstep of our entry into the eurozone: "...This moment does not require enthusiasm. It requires clarity. And the calm confidence that belonging, memory and future can go hand in hand.

 GOD SAVE BULGARIA – that's what is written on the newest European coins. And that says enough. Because Bulgaria is Europe. And Europe is Bulgaria..."

 Banker Dimitar Radev became the president in this night.

 And this is the biggest blow against Rumen Radev, because in the most unexpected moment we saw that he has an alternative.

 That he is a bad example for a head of state. And that we can have a good example.

 Whether he will create a political project - it becomes less and less important. This niche will continue to be empty until a true new political leader emerges. Time will give birth to him. But it will not be Radev.