Maxim Behar: Bulgaria Urgently Needs a Reliable Government

Host (Daniela Angelova): Good evening! "The Day ONAIR" begins now. I am Daniela Angelova, and tonight, with the producer, we are focusing on the day's current events: the foretold failure of the tenth attempt to elect a Speaker of the National Assembly. We will discuss the unprecedented political crisis in Bulgaria with Elena Darieva and Maxim Behar.

Another unsuccessful attempt to elect a Speaker of the National Assembly – in the runoff, Assoc. Prof. Kiselova received 118 votes from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), GERB, and Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning (DPS-New Beginning). Who outmaneuvered whom in parliament? That is the question we are asking Elena Darieva and Maxim Behar. Good evening, and welcome!

Maxim Behar: Good evening!

Maxim: Some have been outmaneuvered, and there are also winners.

Host: Who was outmaneuvered?

Maxim: The outmaneuvered are clearly the Bulgarian people and all of us who voted for people who should be taking a serious look at the enormous mess that is Bulgaria right now and should be trying, above all, to solve the economic crisis and the political crisis leading to it. We are all outmaneuvered – all the people who listen to the radio and watch television, because this is happening right before the nation's eyes. The winners are those who want this not to happen – that is, they want no parliamentary speaker, no government – those people who want to just muddle along in parliament and get their salaries.

Host: But they don't get paid currently, Mr. Behar.

Maxim: It's not even so much about the salaries. Even if they were paid triple, they should be doing their job.

Host: Once they choose a Speaker, they will receive them before Christmas, so we needn't pity them.

Maxim: There is a group of people who remain in the parliament, who created this giant mess with the constitutional changes, and this unleashed political games that are shameful and completely unacceptable. When we come home from work, turn on the news, and watch what these people are doing, we have no motivation to do better, work better, or earn better because we see in front of us people who should be governing, for whom we have voted seven times already. We invest hopes and responsibilities in them. Besides the enormous expense of these repeated elections, these people are supposed to solve what's currently facing Bulgaria, and it's not just about pensions or salaries. I talk to different companies, investors, and various people from abroad daily – no one understands what's happening in Bulgaria anymore. Not to mention that we don't understand. But imagine someone on the 72nd floor of a building in Chicago wanting to invest in Bulgaria, start some kind of production, hire people, and create standards.

Host: How can they invest if even Bulgarian investors are fleeing?

Maxim: They say: "No. These people can't even elect a parliamentary speaker; how can we expect them to carry out economic reforms or offer perspective and predictability?"

Host: Mr. Behar, could you join this storyline with the signed declaration that We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) claim they were unaware of?

Maxim: The sad truth, after seven elections, is that the number of empty-headed and incapable people in parliament is growing more and more, and they form a vast majority against those who know what they want to achieve and how politics is done. I don't know who coined the phrase "sanitary cordon," but it sounds like "sanitary ware." And we all know where sanitary ware is placed. Let them distance themselves from DPS-New Beginning's leader Delyan Peevski personally if they want. But reality is some people voted for this political party or an individual; others have a parliamentary group. What kind of "sanitary cordon" is that? Instead of extending a hand to different people. Are they so afraid of this one person, Delyan Peevski, or the leader of GERB and former prime minister Boyko Borisov, or perhaps some political formation? Why are they making up sanitary cordons? If they are going to do that, they should just not go to parliament at all. This makes no sense; it is an expression of inability and lack of understanding of what the Bulgarian parliament should do. It should form a government that will pass a reasonable budget so that our economy can progress, and nothing else should matter to us. That's why I believe we are all heavily deceived, and it seems we will head towards an eighth election, even if they do elect a Speaker of Parliament. They will probably elect the associate professor tomorrow or the day after.

Host: Or perhaps Sylvi Kirilov, because Borisov said they would reconsider their strategy and support him.

Maxim: Even if they elect him – he's a decent person, a doctor who has probably performed countless operations, I have the greatest respect for him.

Host: But it feels like they are choosing a caretaker prime minister, that's the impression.

Maxim: That's why I said that at the root of all this is the mess in the constitution. But these constitutional changes exist, and the situation is what it is. For example, if I had such a mess in my business, I'd look for a way to fix it, and I would try to sit down with even my fiercest competitor to agree for the sake of making good business. That's what needs to happen in parliament.

Host: Are we left with a feeling of backstage dealings, Mr. Behar? That someone called someone else, and we learn this from the parliamentary podium and with this exact terminology coming from there.

Maxim: The fact that people are so disappointed with politics doesn't worry me too much – politicians are who they are, and they haven't given us anything to be enchanted by.

Host: Are we seeing backstage dealings – backroom negotiations, because they say they are negotiating behind the scenes?

Maxim: We see them every day on TV screens and radio broadcasts. If by backstage dealings we mean the arrangements between different formations, bargaining or forming majorities, that exists everywhere. Look at what's happening in France since yesterday: their government might fall.

Host: Did you see the Politico headline: "France following in Bulgaria's footsteps"?

Maxim: In this sense, there may be backstage dealings everywhere. What worries me more is that no political force in Bulgaria speaks positively. Everything is anti-Peevski and his formation, demonizing him unnecessarily without having the pragmatic sense that Bulgaria currently needs a government, mainly for economic reasons. From there on comes healthcare, education, and culture – all of these things may seem very general, but they are super important because they are at a standstill. In Bulgaria, we have 650,000 people in the state administration – a gigantic number compared to any other European country. The state is at a standstill, which is not entirely bad since businesses can quietly do their jobs and continue working. But looking from the outside, even from other European countries, many of which are also in a similar status quo, Bulgaria desperately needs a good image abroad.

Host: Who should create this good image if the politicians are not doing it?

Maxim: In Germany, France, and the United Kingdom – whatever happens, they have their image, branding, and rules. Bulgaria is somewhere completely forgotten, and the people in parliament need to show that they are thinking about the most crucial thing in front of them: Bulgaria.

Host: Your final words, Mr. Behar.

Maxim: I'll finish with my favorite topic: we do not need a caretaker government. This institution must be abolished as soon as possible. It is one of the reasons for all these seven elections, for these ten voting attempts, not to mention that we have two wars quite close to our border. The situation in that region can change within a few hours. Imagine something happens – will a caretaker government decide Bulgaria's fate? Therefore, if there is good political will, the caretaker government as an institution should be abolished and replaced with a regular government that can be changed at the next elections. This is my favorite topic, but I am trying to find the reasons for what is happening now, and part of them lies in the unnecessary caretaker government institution. Not to mention that the parliament now has to deal with some politics as well, precisely because we have two wars at the border and must make quick political decisions, besides dealing with the economy, branding, and image. Hopefully, we will have a Speaker of the Parliament, but I do not believe this will resolve the crisis in Bulgaria.

Host: Thank you for this conversation, and until next time!

Watch the full interview here.