I am leaving the National Assembly and „Vazrazhdane“ political party. This was announced by MP Elena Guncheva on Facebook, where she noted that the idea of the party was wonderful and she fully shared it, but did not trust leader Kostadin Kostadinov.
„There are decent and patriotic Bulgarians in the party, with whom I am proud to have been side by side in our struggle for Bulgaria. It was because of them that I accepted the invitation of the party leader to lead the lists in Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo. I also thank all the citizens who voted for me in both regions, our victory is due to the people who worked around the clock and sincerely believed in what we do,“, Guncheva commented, adding that in an organization the problems must be clearly and to be decided in the best and balanced way, and individual decisions cannot and should not be imposed. We need balance and tolerance for different opinions.
Guncheva is adamant that after her sick leave expires, she will resign as an MP and leave „Vazrazhdane“, although she still believes in the ideas, but not in the leader. She stated the specific reasons:
- From the beginning of our parliamentary activity, I paid attention to problems with PR, chaotic legislative activity, underestimation of preliminary preparation. I was told that I did not understand anything and that there were professionals.
- Personnel policy: The leader wants the faithful, not the smart and thinking members. He has repeatedly stated this in plain text. The problem is that they cannot rise up faithful and be used as smart. There is a lack of prominent staff in the main departments of government and even those who can be in positions of responsibility even at the middle management level. I point out as an example that there is not a single doctor in our group, which is why I had to be a member of the health commission. When I asked to hire a budget expert, I was told that it was not necessary, it was a political issue. However, the understanding and structuring of a state budget does not require special knowledge, which we do not have. Lack of expertise also leads to populist talk. I am a lawyer with many years of experience in local self-government, and I have a degree in administration. Despite my preparedness on many key issues, other colleagues presented themselves to the media. It got to the point that my opinions were asked to be presented by other MPs because they were their topic.
- My bills, submitted by the „Vazrazhdane“ group, such as the bill for protection of debtors against immediate proceedings, for municipal property, which would largely stop corruption, for the Bulgarian flag, which were my causes, were not even mentioned in media and party pages. But we have a bill for the cultivation of truffles. I do not fully understand why it is important for me and for many people to have these issues widely discussed in society.
- I was forbidden to speak to the media after the publication, for which an investigation was launched by the prosecutor’s office, which inspection was a convenient reason to deny me any appearance. And so 4 months. Many journalists asked me in bewilderment why this was due. I was disciplined and directed everyone to the party’s PR, so for 4 months I could neither express an opinion nor hear my position in public. When I asked for more coverage on party pages and media, because I am often blocked on social networks, it was explained to me that I am nobody without the party and I cannot claim special treatment. Personally, I think that I was someone before the party and I will be someone after it.
- The leader does not protect his people. In the black PR attack on me, I was left completely alone, and I was even refused to defend myself by presenting my thesis to the media. They threw me, figuratively speaking, on the dogs and left me alone.
- My statements in the regional and health commission, despite their importance and, in my opinion, their correctness, are also not visible on the party pages or groups. Unlike other MPs who are covered regularly.
- During the protest against the Ukrainian flag of Sofia Municipality, I was not allowed to speak in front of the people, although some of them said that they expected to hear me and even came to the protest because of that. The speeches were diligently written on a list and taught to be recited by the speakers. I was not on the list, so I did not speak at the protest.
- I consider the lack of cooperation with citizens and civil society organizations to be a big mistake. I strongly disapprove of the attitude to the civil protest, which wanted us not to go with party flags, as the organizers were condemned by the organizational secretary of „Vazrazhdane“ as new purchased party projects. Despite the orders, in Plovdiv we participated as a party in the civil protest and I spoke in front of the people, which was received extremely negatively by the leadership. No conversations are tolerated with anyone who could possibly attract our potential electorate. I believe that there is no „voter theft“ and that each party must fight to be better, not to deny to the point of insanity any competitor. The leader repeatedly spoke of the Russophiles with contempt, and I was also reprimanded for participating in the Immortal Regiment in Sofia.
- The personal attitude towards me is inevitable. Half an hour after I was informed that money was being offered on websites to remove my posts, my leader called to call me on the phone to remove a post in which I called Prime Minister „Just Kiro“ I hung up on him and took it off, explaining that I didn’t want anyone to form my opinion. At the same time, the organizational secretary and others from the party wrote „Just Kiro“ on social networks, without provoking any reaction. I have been repeatedly told that I am in Parliament only thanks to the party, and I cannot afford uncoordinated statements, opinions and initiatives. As I obviously do not have the necessary qualifications, I was not nominated as a secretary, deputy chairman or chairman of a commission, but I was appointed a member of a health commission, in which I frankly admit, I find it difficult to understand the problems in medicine.
- The unaccounted money that is due to the MPs was taken from our party coffers, and at least I don’t know how it is spent. What worried me in this case was that none of us could afford to open a reception area in our constituency and hire an assistant or pay experts for opinions. I emphasize that for the entire period of my stay in the National Assembly, I was at a hotel that I paid for myself. Unfortunately, there was money to rent buses for the protests, but there was no money to hire experts to prepare things professionally for the plenary hall. Despite my insistence, I did not have an open meeting with the citizens of Plovdiv, and in the absence of a reception, my meetings with them took place on the streets.
- I had to coordinate each performance word for word. No one asked me for my opinion, but came down on top of me. Even to my questions why, for example, we vote that Russia is an aggressor. Yes, we voted against the sanctions, but we supported the rest of the declaration. Why, I was not explained. I was not explained why we had to vote together with GERB almost every time, especially for their proposals, and Desislava Atanasova was a frequent guest in the room of the parliamentary group. I know that politics requires compromises, but I cannot make some compromises. And that is to forget 13 years of dictatorship, the beating of students under the columns of the Council of Ministers, wiretapping and huge corruption. There is no way I can support them, and I admit, I have not become a politician enough to be so dialogical as to forget how they threatened my child and how they threatened my clients not to work with me. For the MRF, I am sure that there was no agreement, we have never supported them. Except for the vote, but that can be explained. For GERB the explanation is difficult, at least for me.
I explain the problems and I think that with good will they can find a solution, says Guncheva. She remains with the best feelings for the party and the people in it, because they are sincere, patriotic and honest.
„I found many friends there and I hope that despite the situation, we will continue to be so. It is very possible that the guilt is in me, because it is difficult to fit in and I do not allow myself to be controlled. Obviously, as I wrote some time ago, I am not becoming a politician. But I had to try. To introduce bills that I think will help people. To hear my point of view and that of the people who trusted me. Unfortunately, I failed, despite my best efforts.“
She will resign from the National Assembly on July 13, when my sick leave expires.
„It is a matter of principle to leave parliament after you are no longer part of the party from which you were elected. If management insists, I can do so next week. I will keep saying what I think. Because freedom is the most important state of mind,“, Guncheva emphasizes.
„I would like to thank all the people who have supported me so far and who share the idea of Revival. Keep fighting, because Bulgaria is important. There is hope and it is in „Vazrazhdane“. But I can’t go on with you because I will lose myself,“, she concluded.
