GERB MP Provokes Social Media With Claim of Zero Inflation Under PM Zhelyazkov

GERB MP and former economy, energy and tourism minister Delyan Dobrev triggered sharp reactions online after claiming that Bulgaria saw no inflation during the time Rosen Zhelyazkov was prime minister.

In a Facebook post, Dobrev wrote that prices had remained unchanged under the Zhelyazkov cabinet, adding a sarcastic remark that the situation would now be different amid what he described as “chaos” caused by Asen Vassilev and Ivaylo Mirchev (of WCC-DB).

His statement was immediately challenged by Venko Sabrutev, an MP from "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB). In a public comment, Sabrutev said Dobrev’s claim was misleading and insisted that prices had risen sharply during the period he described as the “Borissov–Peevski government.”

Sabrutev pointed to electricity prices as a key example, arguing that within just a few months they had increased more than over the previous three years combined. He blamed the hikes on decisions taken after the appointment of a new Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, which he said had approved steep increases. According to him, similar trends could be seen in the cost of heating, water services and road vignettes, as well as in the prices of everyday goods in stores.

The criticism went further, with Sabrutev also referring to what he described as rising corruption costs. He cited the Sofia Ring Road project, claiming its price had increased from 550 million leva, roughly 281 million euros, to 2 billion leva, about 1.02 billion euros, due to corrupt practices. He concluded his comment with a call for resignations, saying the public no longer wanted to see those responsible, even in photographs.

Dobrev’s post and the heated exchange that followed prompted numerous additional reactions and comments on social media, turning the issue of prices and inflation into another point of open political confrontation.