Top Bulgarian Presidential Contenders Engage in 1st Lackluster TV Debate

The presidential candidate of the ruling GERB party, Rosen Plevneliev (right) and the one of the opposition left wing, Ivaylo Kalfin (left), gave Tuesday the start of live televised debates ahead of the October 23 elections.

The two top contenders for the Bulgarian presidential office held their first televised debate, engaging in political bickering and mutual accusations of failure and incompetence.

The debate between Ivaylo Kalfin, nominated by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, and former Regional Minister, Rosen Plevneliev, endorsed by the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party was aired live Tuesday evening on TV7 and lasted for over two hours.

It came on the heels of numerous accusations from Kalfin's headquarters and from the third top runner - Bulgaria's first and now former EU Commissioner from the party of ex Tsar and Prime Minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, National Movement for Stability and Prosperity, NMSP, who is running as independent, Meglena Kuneva, saying Plevneliev is avoiding direct and open confrontation with his opponents.

Kalfin began with an attack on Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, saying the latter has the ambition to be the "Father of the Nation" and the function of the president would be to oppose this style and defend civil freedoms and rights. Plevneliev said the president is a pragmatic leader, responsible for the prestige and the unity of the nation. The statements came as response to the first question – The President – Unifier or Father?

The BSP candidate brought to the TV studio a file with his tax declarations from several years back and challenged the GERB one to "show his attitude towards the State," to which the latter declared: "My declarations are public in two countries – Bulgaria and Germany. Elections in Bulgaria have never been won by waving files," a reminiscence of another presidential debate years ago when then candidate, Petar Stoyanov, attacked his opponent by showing a file with alleged damming information.

The debate went on with mutual accusations that the current GERB cabinet and the previous one, led by BSP, have failed in solving the issues with Roma integration, crime, economic crisis, absorption of EU funds and have been spying on and wiretapping journalists.

The two also clashed on the Constitutional rights of the president with Plevneliev saying he did not want more of them while Kalfin declared he would seek changes to increase the role of the Head of State such as stronger veto power, a new Act for the National Security Consultative Council, new referendum rules and others.

The opponents differed on the issue of the "social president." Kalfin stressed the president must respond to the agenda of the citizens i.e. the social problems, citing texts from the Constitution that Bulgaria is a social State.

"Mr. Kalfin is not running for Prime Minister; these are not general elections. The president is not giving away money, wages and income. He is responsible for creating the necessary conditions for people to be able to earn their living. We need a national plan for development of the economy and the social sector," Plevneliev countered.

This was followed by a debate about the construction of highways where the participants entered in heated arguments on the exact amount of EU funds for Bulgaria and who is more competent on the subject – Plevneliev in his capacity of former Regional Minister, or Kalfin as a Member of the European Parliament's Budget Committee.

"If you look in the past, I look in the future when Bulgaria will have in seven years seven highways and a bullet train connection with Istanbul," the GERB candidate concluded while the BSP one objected that in the next budget period the EU would not have that much funding for Bulgaria and the money is not going to be enough to finish seven highways.

Kalfin also announced that while in office he would initiate a referendum on the research and extraction of shale gas, pointing out current legislation on referendums is restricting citizens' rights. Plevneliev agreed, but stressed that the "referendum is the nuclear bomb of democracy."

When asked if he was for or against the project to build a second Nuclear Power Plant, NPP, in the Danube town of Belene, the GERB candidate said he could not be either one since there was "a creative declaration" on Belene signed by the Socialists, leading to the spending of millions in taxpayers' money without even a contract. Kalfin countered there is a contract for the price of EUR 4.8 B for the equipment, which today is much higher over GERB delaying the project and going back and forth with it.

He stood firmly behind the need of Bulgaria to develop close partnership with Russia while Plevneliev said energy projects in the country should not materialize just because there is Russian participation in them, adding Bulgaria not only needs energy effectiveness, but also energy liberalization and diversification.

"Let's forget about the past and turn to the future. Politicians are not accessed by their words, but by their deeds. In the last two years, I introduced a new type of politics – with concrete results for the benefit of society and people. Now, I am enlarging the horizon, and adding a bigger strength," Plevneliev concluded.

"Bulgaria needs to return to its dignity and freedom. It does not need a president who says "It is not my business to give money; my business is to build highways," but it needs a president who will make the problems of the common folk problems for the institutions. I do not want Bulgaria to reinstate the totalitarian regime; I do not want to live in such country," were Kalfin's final words.

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