„In some form, they chose a Turkish president and for about 500 years, order was established. Good, bad – order.”
MP from GERB-UDF Lyuben Dilov-son said this yesterday from the highest rostrum in the state – the parliamentary one and caused public indignation, with some even accusing him of being a national traitor. With his brazen proposal for a representative of the Turkish ethnic party to govern the Bulgarian parliament, he once again demonstrated the long-standing embrace between GERB-UDF and MRF. His exact words were:
„My second comment to you is some support for what Mrs. Atanasova said a while ago. You are a historian and I want to take you back not 32 years ago, the founding fathers of this constitution, but at the end of the 12th century or the 13th. The situation is more or less similar – we have a game of thrones here and what is happening – whoever you ask about who was the most guilty, who was the most guilty of the Shishmanovtsi dynasty… they will hardly answer you about the situation at that time and about the then end of the second Bulgarian state. But there is something instructive that happened. In some form, they chose a Turkish president and for about 500 years, order was established. Good, bad – order. So my proposal, jokingly, and perhaps quite seriously, is to think seriously about the two options – that the MRF appoint a Chairperson or that Mr. Rashidov remains as Chairperson, which will be a symbolic sign. He will hardly be Acting Chairperson. We have perfect Vice-Chairpersons, we saw them in action in complex situations in the previous Parliament. I think this is the best solution, and it will have a historically sobering effect on us, because it will bring us back to times similar to the present. And the last thing I will say is that God may be sending us some kind of sign today with the death of Anton Donchev, the author of “ Time of Violence “ – „so if we don’t come to our senses, at least we should be startled„.
These words support the comment of his colleague Desislava Atanasova, who also stated: „The third party should nominate a chairperson or apply another approach: the oldest, the most experienced – whatever they are, as long as there is a way for the National Assembly to start legislative activity. If the first launched option is accepted, the Chairperson of the Parliament should be Yordan Tsonev from MRF.„
GERB’s proposal once again caused a scandal. Why? The Iskra.bg team would like to recall some details of Yordan Tsonev’s life in order to support with facts the indignation of Bulgarians and the reasons why he is not the most suitable candidate for the post of Chairperson of the National Assembly.
Tsonev is known by the nicknames The Mint and The Pizza. The first was given to him in 1989, while he was a croupier in the casino of Burgas Hotel „Bulgaria“. Shortly after that, with the help of his father-in-law, he started his own business, opening a pizzeria and filling the Black Sea coast with soft drinks, receiving his new nickname – Dancho The Pizza, „Oligarhy. blogspot“ reminded. At the dawn of democracy, he was already the owner of a chain of exchange offices in Burgas.
His career as a politician began in 1991 with the post of Municipal councilor of the UDF in Burgas and Chairman of the Economic and Financial-Budget Commission. At that time, his business was booming. The formula „money + power“ catapulted him to the post of Chairman of the regional council of the UDF in 1996. Then, with a group of dubious businessmen, they buy a large piece of land and resell it at a 100 times higher price – to Shell gas stations.
While he owned 7 companies in the field of tourism and trade, he also joined the Parliament – in 1997 he was a MP from the UDF list. He also became Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Financial Control, and also declared that he had „left“ the circle of companies he owned. Despite the media attacking his claims and proving behind-the-scenes business deals as well as accusations of tax evasion, no one is holding him accountable.
At the end of July 2013, Tsonev was named by the media „Dnes+“ as being responsible for the removal of the MPs and ministers from the Parliament during the occupation of the building of the National Assembly on the night of July 23-24, 2013, during which there are casualties.
Given everything written so far, it is clear that Tsonev is associated with dubious figures, was once expelled from the party due to accusations of corruption, demonstrates foreign pilgrimage in the name of power. It is a paradox that it was the UDF that chased him from their ranks, and then a representative of the coalition in which they are, proposed him for one of the highest positions in the state. It seems no problem that the first among equals can be involved in so many scandals? Isn’t it tantamount to national treason – to put a controversial and ridiculed figure in this very responsible position? Once again, GERB-UDF proved that they are very close to the MRF and that it does not matter to them whether the best choice will be made for Bulgaria, as long as the „power + money“ formula works.
While it is written in the regulations that the Speaker of the National Assembly is elected by the deputies, and the requirements for him are to be a Bulgarian citizen and to have reached the age of 21, not to be placed under interdiction and not to serve a prison sentence, Tsonev may meet these criteria, but where is the ethical and moral dimension – that his name is not substituted in corruption schemes, dubious persons and that he is a worthy Bulgarian? It seems that such dimensions do not exist for GERB-UDF, MRF and those who supported his candidacy.
