Bulgarian Socialists' Presidential Runner Vows Social Justice

Bulgarian Socialist Party presidential candidate Ivaylo Kalfin (R) and party leader Sergey Stanishev (L) at the meeting of the Socialist-led Coalition for Bulgaria. Photo by BGNES

Led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party the eight parties in the leftist "Coalition for Bulgaria" have formally endorsed ex Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin for the Bulgarian presidential elections on October 23.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has already picked Kalfin, the top diplomat and Deputy PM in the 2005-2009 BSP-led government of their leader Sergey Stanishev. They have now been joined by their marginal partners in the leftist "Coalition for Bulgaria" – the Bulgarian Social Democrats party, the Movement for Social Humanism, the European Security and Integration Party, the Bulgarian Communist Party, the Alexander Stamboliyski Agrarian Union, the Nova Zora (New Dawn) party, and the EuroRoma party.

Kalfin himself is a representative of the Bulgarian Social Democrats party but has traditionally enjoyed very strong support from the BSP leadership, and outgoing President Georgi Parvanov, a former leader of the BSP.

"I am a candidate that offers an alternative to what's going on in the Bulgarian legislature and executive. We are going to fight the aggressiveness, the imposing of only one opinion and the lack of dialogue with dialogue, national consensus, and focus on several major topics for the Bulgarian citizens," Kalfin declared upon receiving the coalition's support.

"We will counteract the current policy that stifles business and makes the poor poorer with a policy of social justice and solidarity which has been a lot more successful for Bulgaria in hard times than the division of a rich minority and a constantly impoverishing majority," the ex Foreign Minister pledged.

He further slammed the current Bulgarian government for lacking any international activity to counter Bulgaria's dwindling international standing – a flaw that he proposed to counter with active policies within the EU.

Kalfin did promise, however, that if he got elected he would seek to start his relations with the Bulgarian anew by focusing on major topics such people's standard of living, small and medium-sized enterprises, environment, education, and health care.

"The ruling party GERB does not consult with anyone at the moment but I hope that with the election results we will be able to convince them that dividing the nation can't lead to beneficial results," the leftist presidential hopeful said.

BSP leader and ex PM Stanishev stated in turn that Kalfin was well aware that his job would be to mobilize all leftist voters, and should then seek to attract everyone else who is dissatisfied with the rule of the GERB party.

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