Bulgaria: Vassilev Says President Sent Clear Signal Against Peevski with Third Mandate Decision

Asen Vassilev, leader of We Continue the Change and MP from the WCC-DB parliamentary group, said President Rumen Radev’s decision to hand the third exploratory mandate to the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) sent an unambiguous political message. According to Vassilev, the move was a clear signal against Delyan Peevski and the political project known as “New Beginning,” as he told reporters in parliament.

Further reading: President Hands Third Mandate to Alliance for Rights and Freedoms Amid Bulgaria’s Political Deadlock

The former finance minister pointed to the law on extending the state budget, which requires wages to be updated in line with accumulated inflation as of the end of December 2025. He cited official data showing inflation at 5.2 percent, calculated using the Bulgarian consumer price index. Vassilev described this level as notably high, stressing that it is roughly double the inflation rate at the time he left office. By comparison, inflation stood at 2.3 percent in April 2024, he said.

According to Vassilev, the 5.2 percent inflation rate means that all salaries in the public sector must be adjusted upward by the same percentage. He added that once the 2026 state budget is adopted, a broader income policy will be outlined. In that context, Vassilev said his party would push for major structural changes if it secures sufficient parliamentary backing, including a sharp reduction in the number of ministries, provided there are at least 121 MPs to support what he described as genuine state reforms.

He linked the surge in inflation primarily to steep increases in household electricity prices, noting that in 2025 they rose more than during 2022, 2023, and 2024 combined. Additional pressure, he said, came from higher water prices. Vassilev emphasized that the main price increases were seen in goods and services produced domestically rather than in imported products. He explained that prices for goods coming from abroad have remained largely stable due to active international trade, while domestic goods and services have become significantly more expensive.