Velichie” in Karlovo: The Demographic Crisis, Food Sovereignty, and the Fight Against “Rheinmetall” – January 9, 2026

At an open meeting with citizens in Karlovo, representatives of the party “Velichie” discussed the deepening demographic crisis and the lack of statesmanlike vision, the devastation of Bulgarian agriculture and plans for its recovery, corruption schemes in infrastructure, concerns surrounding the construction of a “Rheinmetall” plant in the region, and the strategy for preventing manipulation in the upcoming elections.

Lack of vision and demographic collapse

Ivelin Mihaylov criticized the absence of established rules and priorities in the state, arguing that decisions are made subjectively by those in power. He pointed to the demographic catastrophe as a key indicator of the country’s condition, noting the drop in newborns from around 200,000 in 1989 to just 48,000 in the past year. According to him, young people are leaving Bulgaria because they see no prospects and do not want to associate themselves with the current political elite.

Plan for food sovereignty

Pavel Stoimenov analyzed Bulgaria’s transformation into a supplier of raw materials for foreign economies and the destruction of irrigation systems, which have shrunk from 15.5 million decares to just 300,000 decares. He presented a recovery plan through the creation of cooperatives with 50% state participation. These structures are intended to provide technology, seeds, and guaranteed purchase of produce, in order to revive the production of fruits, vegetables, and meat and reduce dependence on imports.

Corruption in infrastructure

The party leadership linked major infrastructure projects to corrupt practices and vote-buying. As an example, they cited the Kresna bypass project worth BGN 570 million, which they described as economically unjustified and harmful to the local livelihood. Mihaylov claimed that the companies winning such contracts are the main organizers of manipulated voting at the local level. Abuses involving quarries and the deliberate delay of repairs were also mentioned.

The “Rheinmetall” issue and local democracy

Maria Ilieva and local representatives expressed serious concerns about plans to build a “Rheinmetall” plant in the region, citing environmental risks and the lack of public consultation. They supported the initiative for a local referendum through which citizens could decide the fate of the investment. Party representatives revealed administrative obstacles from the Karlovo Municipal Council, which had initially prevented citizens from being heard.

Mobilization for fair elections

A key objective of the party is to achieve a result of between 30 and 50 members of parliament, which would make it an unavoidable factor. Mihaylov called for mass participation of volunteers in precinct election commissions and as observers. The party relies on a strategy of parallel vote counting and collecting information from all protocols in order to guarantee the fairness of the vote and prevent manipulation.

Below follows the full transcript of the meeting of the party “Velichie” in Karlovo, edited, structured by topic, and cleared of errors and repetitions typical of spoken speech.

Lack of statesmanlike vision and demographic collapse

Ivelin Mihaylov: The more substantial problems are that we do not have the right prioritization of actions. Every statesman should not simply spend money, but spend it in a way that, at some point, people can see the effect—how everything is improving. At the moment, what is happening in the country is that we have neither an overall plan for what needs to be done, nor prioritization of actions, nor control over implementation. The worst thing is that there is a total change in the rules, or we have a Constitution only on paper.

If the authorities do not like you subjectively, you cannot do anything. We are not even a dictatorship, because in a dictatorship there is someone who sets rules and you know what you can and cannot do. Right now, everything depends on whether Boyko Borisov happens to like something or not, and he is changeable in his opinions. This is destroying the country. In the past year, only 48,000 children were born. That is devastatingly few. By comparison, in 1989 there were approximately 200,000, and in 2010—76,000 children. Every year, the number of young people in Bulgaria decreases, settlements are depopulated, and we have no ability to manage this state.

Entrepreneurship and creation instead of politics

Ivelin Mihaylov: We are people outside politics, which keeps us clean from the mistakes of the past 36 years of transition. Before becoming politicians, we were people who chose to contribute to this country through personal labor. Pavel Stoimenov and I chose to be entrepreneurs, and Maria Ilieva was a director at an international bank. What we have created remains for Bulgaria, unlike the actions of the current rulers.

We know how to create. We can create culture, prosperity, food, well-organized jobs, and a future for young people. What you see here—the paintings—is part of Bulgaria’s cultural fund and history, created with our own funds, without a single lev of state money. We are on the threshold of new elections that can change the situation, because for the first time we can remove the ruling mafia.

Plan for restoring agriculture

Pavel Stoimenov: Here, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, the Thracians once lived, creating and producing. Today, however, we see the Thracian Plain planted only with wheat and sunflower. We were pushed by the European Union to be merely suppliers of resources—producing feed wheat, fueling the European economy, and receiving the leftovers in return. We destroyed pig farms and orchards.

We need to create cooperatives in which the state participates with 50% in order to support production. These cooperatives will provide technology, chemicals, fertilizers, seeds, and purchase of produce. The goal is to restore canning and freezing plants so that we have year-round production. Currently, in Silistra, on the most fertile soil by the Danube, instead of greenhouses and canning plants, photovoltaic installations are being built.

We do not have food sovereignty. From 15.5 million decares of irrigated land in the past, only 300,000 decares function today. Boyko Borisov and the officials appointed by him deliberately destroyed the irrigation systems. We know how to rebuild them in a modern way.

Corruption schemes in infrastructure

Ivelin Mihaylov: Money is spent not according to priorities, but according to where it can be stolen most easily. An example is the Kresna bypass road for BGN 570 million. This project is pointless, because the highway will divert traffic, but the road will destroy the gardens and livelihoods of local people. The companies that win these projects are the same ones that buy votes locally.

Pavel Stoimenov: Corruption kills. We saw this in Mezdra, where the road was closed for seven years so that trucks could travel 200 kilometers more, serving the interests of an oligarch with a quarry and an asphalt base. MP Mladen Marinov has three quarries in his village and earns huge sums every day from the state-owned company “Avtomagistrali,” while destroying infrastructure.

Repression and pressure on citizens

Pavel Stoimenov: In Bulgaria, no one has security over their property and business. Anyone who stands up to the status quo is crushed. An example is Bayram from Velingrad, whom they tried to force to sell his animals and destroy his livelihood. Now the man is in hospital after all this harassment.

Ivelin Mihaylov: State institutions are used as a club. They freeze the bank accounts of ordinary people simply because they ask inconvenient questions. We must be active and unite, because against us are people who control the army, the police, and information agencies. We can stand up to them only as one people.

Strategy for fair elections

Ivelin Mihaylov: We have a plan to stop vote-buying and election manipulation. We need people to serve as members of precinct election commissions and as observers. If we have our people in the polling stations, they cannot replace the protocols or manipulate the results at “Information Services.” In this way, we will guarantee 95% fair elections.

In the Shumen region, there are already attempts to infiltrate provocateurs into our structures, so we must be careful and verify people. We also have special units of young men who will monitor vote-buyers on election day.

The problem with the “Rheinmetall” plant and local democracy

Maria Ilieva: Those in power decided to build a “Rheinmetall” plant here without asking you. Do you want 9,000 decares of forest to be cut down and the region to turn into a military target? Tomislav Donchev stated that the decision had been made and that people’s opinions did not matter. That is not justice. You must have the power to say “No.”

The plant will bring debt to Bulgaria, while the profits will go to Germany. The jobs will not be for locals, because there is no unemployment here—people will be brought in from elsewhere.

Krasimir Badrakov: The Karlovo Municipal Council initially voted against holding a referendum and refused to give citizens the floor. After our pressure and an appeal, the rules were changed and now citizens have the right to speak. A petition for a referendum is currently being collected, organized by the association “Rodolyubtsi za Karlovo,” which we support. About 3,000 signatures have already been collected, and around 5,000 are needed.

Questions and answers

Question (Aleksandar Kostadinov): Are support groups planned in case of repression?
Ivelin Mihaylov: We have created a website called “Pod Oko” (“Under Watch”), where we will expose people carrying out repression—police officers, prosecutors, civil servants. Society must show intolerance toward them and isolate them.

Question (Rumen Stoyanov): Pollsters give low percentages, but public attitudes are different. Will we have supporters to form a government?
Ivelin Mihaylov: We expect between 30 and 50 MPs. That will make us an unavoidable factor. The only politician with whom we can discuss cooperation is the President. If together we manage to gather 130 votes, Bulgaria can move sharply upward.

Question (Yani Dimitrov): Can religious education be introduced in schools, and can patriotic parties unite?
Ivelin Mihaylov: We are working to restore faith. As for parties—we have sent letters for cooperation to all parliamentary groups on specific issues, but we have not received a single response.

Question (Ivanov, farmer): What do we do about the water that flows away while we cannot irrigate?
Pavel Stoimenov: Everything must be organized by the state. Drilling should be on a notification basis, and the water should be for Bulgarian producers. At the moment, preparations are underway to sell resources and the gold deposits in Ivaylovgrad to foreign companies.

Question (Bozhidar Hadzhiev): Is there a risk of manipulation of machine voting without a paper trail?
Ivelin Mihaylov: If that happens, we must take to mass protests. There must be a paper receipt for verification. But GERB and DPS are also not enthusiastic about fully machine-based voting, so it is unlikely to be adopted in that form.