Kristian Vigenin: I believe I can bring energy, morale and trust back to the BSP

„I believe I can bring energy, morale and trust back to the BSP. We must change the way we conduct policy and talk to people.“ This was stated by the Deputy Chair of the BSP and candidate for chair of the party Kristian Vigenin at his meeting with the socialists of Sofia. Among the guests were the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova, President Georgi Parvanov (2002 to 2012), Georgi Pirinski, the former MEP Atanas Paparizov, members of parliament, coalition partners from the BSP, United Left, and supporters.

„We have no right to enter into new internal conflicts. Our energy must be directed towards strengthening the party. I will make every effort for that to happen. The BSP needs every one of us, and with united efforts we can make it strong and significant“, Kristian Vigenin said emotionally to the hall. He considers it particularly important that BSP politicians should be able to hear people and draw the right conclusions: „Let us not have illusions that we can deceive the socialists and our voters. People sense it when you are not sincere with them. If we learn to hear the socialists and respond to their expectations, the left will not be on just 7% support.“

Programme goals and the coalition

„The world is changing, and we must keep up with the times. It is important to set out our programme goals clearly and understandably. What we write must be put into practice through our actions. Until now there has often been a gap between words and deeds. Let us bring them together!“ the candidate for chair emphasised.

Additional attention, in Vigenin’s view, must be paid to the training of staff in the BSP, because its chosen representatives should not have to learn on the job by trial and error. The candidate for chair presented another of his ideas, creating a network of young academics and doctoral students and restoring the links with cultural and academic circles. Vigenin believes the party must attract experts to take part in developing the policies the BSP pursues.

Kristian Vigenin placed particular emphasis on the development of the BSP, United Left coalition: „When we drew up the platform 100 solutions for the accelerated development of Bulgaria together, I understood how valuable it is to discuss things with like-minded people, and I appreciated the expertise each of the parties has. Special thanks to Velizar Enchev for being here among us. I believe that one day we will bring both Bulgarian Spring and Movement 21 back into the coalition, and that we will attract other left parties such as the Bulgarian Social Democrats Party, with whom we are together in the Socialist International and the PES.“

The meeting in Sofia

At the start of the meeting Kristian Vigenin shared memories connected with the guests at the event, how he and Natalia Kiselova had fought for just causes since their youth, how he had worked in the campaign of Georgi Parvanov, after which he became president, and how he had been late for school because he was listening to Georgi Pirinski’s speeches at the Round Table. He recalled the lessons in social engagement from his Russian language teacher at the German School, Mrs Stoeva, who had also come to support him. He thanked his lecturer at UNWE Prof. Dinko Dinkov for teaching him to value his time. Kristian Vigenin also recalled working together with Atanas Paparizov, with whom he was among Bulgaria’s first MEPs, and the long shared path with the chair of the district organisation in Poduyane Veselin Gazhev.

The political scientist Aleksandar Ivanov from the Studentski district had sent a reasoned analysis of why Kristian Vigenin is the right chair of the BSP at this moment. Mariela Modeva praised him for the idea of restoring the BSP’s link with academic and cultural circles. Aleksandar Paunov from the Communist Party of Bulgaria shared Prof. Andrey Pantev’s message about the factors that generate corruption. Georgi Pirinski challenged Vigenin to reflect on the reasons for the decline in trust in the BSP and the need to clear up all suspicions of links with the oligarchy.

In answer to questions from the participants, Vigenin said that he would support the boycott of the supermarkets, that he does not accept the sale of the reactors for the Belene nuclear plant, and that the first thing he will do as chair is to focus on the work on the budget and on the government’s governing programme, in order to guarantee that the BSP’s views find a place there. Asked what he would like to see as a result over the coming months, he expressed the hope that there will be serious progress in dealing with the water shortages, that real results will be seen from the investment programme for the municipalities, that the introduction of a tax-free minimum will be provided for from next year, and that work will begin on revising the status of hospitals as commercial companies. „These problems affect many people, and if there is progress they will feel it at once“, he pointed out.

The meeting in Sofia was the final one in the series of pre-congress conversations Vigenin held with socialists across the country, which began in Yambol and continued in packed halls in Gotse Delchev, Blagoevgrad, Plovdiv, Burgas, Pazardzhik, Veliko Tarnovo and Kyustendil.