Rumen Radev (President of Bulgaria): Address to the Nation

We present to you a machine translation of address of President Rumen Radev to the Bulgarian people:

The Voice of Discontent

“Dear compatriots, the long-suppressed discontent of Bulgarians has poured out onto the squares. Thousands in the capital and in major cities chanted ‘Resignation.’ They were not stopped by the merchants of fear, nor by the power outage, nor by the stalled escalators in the metro. They were not discouraged by the attempts of the political class and its media mouthpieces to sow division among the protesters, because there are feelings beyond any rift that every decent person carries in their heart: the expectation of justice, the personal dignity of free citizens in a democratic country, the concern to secure a future for your children, the self-respect of citizens of a sovereign European state. The attempts to portray the protest as a revolt against the budget belittle the event itself. The claims that this is a revolt only of the young diminish the process, because the square was filled with people of all generations. Bulgarians raised their voice against the hijacked state, corruption, lawlessness, and the refusal of the political class to hear them; against governance through money, smear campaigns, and fear, against the smugness of the oligarchy.”

A Divided Society and a Message to Those in Power

“They raised their voice against an unprincipled coalition that divides our society into two floors. One for those in power, willing to engage in any kind of political incest among themselves, and another for the deceived and embittered voters who cast their ballots with hope but receive insulting indifference and arrogance from their elected representatives. Bulgarians raised their voice and said ‘no’ to everything that has driven over a million compatriots abroad and torn them from their families. Gentlemen oligarchs, this time you underestimated the patience of the veterans of the transition. You also failed to account for the impulse of thousands of young people who care deeply for Bulgaria and who joined the democratic process. Dear compatriots — all of you who filled the squares and raised your voice against the abuses of the oligarchy, and the rest who, for one reason or another, did not publicly state your position but live, work, and study in the homeland and bear the hardships and injustices of our Bulgarian existence — I address you all with the conviction that we will not waste this chance to change Bulgaria.”

The Path to Change

“We know from experience why we have gathered. We also know from the past that every attempt to privatize the protest robs the hopes of the majority. We will need unity, will, and wisdom to protect civil peace from provocations. Bulgaria needs real change — one that leads to the rule of law and restoration of statehood. Something the current governing coalition is incapable of achieving. The government has been discredited; the resignation is urgent. Early elections are the only way forward. I believe we will succeed. Long live Bulgaria!”

~ Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria