site.bta Presidential Candidates of Ruling Party, Opposition In Final Debate before November 13 Runoffs

Presidential Candidates of Ruling Party, Opposition In Final Debate before November 13 Runoffs

Sofia, November 10 (BTA) - The Socialist-supported presidential candidate Roumen Radev and Tsetska Tsacheva, the candidate of the ruling GERB party, met for a final debate Thursday ahead of the November 13 runoffs which will elect the next Bulgarian President.

Radev and Tsacheva won the most votes in the first round of voting, earning 25.43 per cent and 21.96 per cent, respectively. They had one debate early in the elections campaign, in the bTV studio, but has since avoided debates between the two or with the other candidates.

The Thursday debate was organized by and broadcast by the Bulgarian National Television.

The two debated a broad scope of issues, including the presidential powers, Bulgaria's foreign policy, the judicial reform, relations with the Great Powers and the migrant crisis, among others.

Following are the key questions and the highlights of the candidates' answers.

Q: Was the November 10, 1989, start of transition to democracy a disappointment or a hope?

Radev: Both. It brought membership of NATO and the EU, the transition to democracy. Yet people feel desperate. Communism cannot be an excuse for all of our failures.

Ts: It was most of all hope. There is also sadness because things did not happen the best way.

Q: What were the two key mistakes of transition?

R: People hoped for a fast transition, joining quickly the European family, and prosperity. The disappointment is that there is no justice and people cannot take advantage of all the opportunities there are. The State is unable to deal with corruption.

Here Tsacheva asked Radev what the role of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) was in the first years of transition and whether they were responsible for the failures of that period.

R: I am not a member of the Socialist party. BSP definitely have responsibility for the kind of transition we had.

Q: What follows from the US elections?

Ts: It was a democratic election and everybody must respect it. If I am elected, I will work with Trump. Now that the election campaign is over, I have fewer concerns than during the campaign.

Here Radev recalled Tsacheva's remarks that she feels Hillary Clinton closer in terms of ideas and values.

Q: Do you think the situation is riskier now?

R: Risks always exist. The election will have consequences for international relations. We have traditionally good relations with the US and I hope that there will be no major changes. We have to look at the opportunities.

Q: What would be the first two issues you would raise at your first meeting with Trump?

R: Security and partnership in investment.

Ts: Relations between the US and Europe or the US and China. Law enforcement. US visa waiver for Bulgarians.

Q: What would you do at a meeting with Putin?

Ts: I would tell him that we want pragmatic relations with Russia. I would invite him to Bulgaria, take him to see its sites and cultural heritage that bears evidence of the links between the two peoples, and also to the resorts.

R: Relations with Russia must be pragmatic to ensure economic cooperation and broader markets. I want to reclaim our markets in Russia - through the prism of the sanctions of the EU against Russia and of Russia against the EU. There is a century-old connection between the two people and this must continue.

Radev mentions Belene and South Stream as missed opportunities, says Bulgaria must revisit these abandoned projects.

Here Tsacheva asks him about Crimea and what is the EU position on Crimea and how his position matches the EU's.

R: The international law has been violated in Crimea and I have always said that, but the reality is that a Russian flag is flown in Crimea and we can't turn a blind eye to this.

Tsacheva asks him what he would do if Russian flags are flown on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. He calls the question ridiculous.

Q: What is the country that Bulgaria has the most complex relations with?

Ts: I would ask the question the other way and say these are the EU countries, the US, Russia and Turkey.

R: Obviously we have difficult relations with Turkey at the moment.

He asks Tsacheva to comment her dependence on Turkey.

Tsacheva denies being dependent on Turkey in any way and says that GERB works among all Bulgarian citizens without dividing them by religion or ethnicity.

Q: Is Turkey ready for EU membership now?

R: No, definitely no. A number of [accession] criteria has not been met, especially in the area of human rights. They have lots of accession chapters to work on. The problem is what follows from now on. Europe is closing up for Turkey and this is a problem.

Ts: What is happening in Turkey is important for us. My fear is that Turkey is departing from its accession to the EU.

Q: Arrange the foreign policy priorities by importance as you see them:

Ts: 1. EU countries. 2. NATO allies, US, Turkey 3. Russia - it is no enemy, we have to pursue a pragmatic policy in keeping with our membership of the EU and NATO. 4 The Balkan countries. We have to help our friends in Serbia and Macedonia in their EU aspirations.

R: 1. Our neighbours are the most important, including Turkey. No unauthorized intermediaries should be expected; partnership must go closely with the EU; the goodneighbourliness treaty must finally be signed. It is unthinkable not to mention the US and Russia. Bulgaria must be cured of this satellite syndrome: get attached to somebody - Russia and the US, or the other Great Powers - to take care of us. We have to capitalize on our relations with these countries, not to serve them.

Q: What should the Bulgarian policy on migrants be? Do you support the policy or Victor Orban or Angela Merkel?

Ts: Bulgaria cannot manage with the migrant crisis on its own, without the EU support.

R: The efforts were considerable in the recent months but not before that. We waited too long for Europe to produce a common position.

The two argue about the price of the border fence and which government had the price higher for building this fence.

R: What needs to be done is fence the border, beef up border police, crack down on human smuggling, take decisive action to revise the Dublin Agreement, and prepare the Bulgarian armed forces to be deployed at the border.

Q: Imagine that there is a wave of migrants at the southern border. What would you do?

R: Convoke the Consultative Council on National Security and make decisions.

Ts: There is no time to convoke the Consultative Council. Its decisions are only advisory. Fast action is needed by the border police, the army, and the new EU border and coast guard must get involved.

Radev asks her if she would be opposed to a government ordinance on integration of refugees. Tsacheva explains the details of the ordinance indicating that she would not be opposed to it.

Q: Does the larger defence budget make the Bulgarian army stronger?

R: The larger budget is an illusion. It is not really bigger. There is a serious problem with the [inadequate] capacity of the Bulgarian armed forces. The personnel is demotivated and people leave; they are unequipped and unable to prepare adequately. The president should have a clear position on these matters.

Ts: What has been invested in the armed forces for more than 25 years was not enough. The budget for 2017 is what we can afford but clearly we have to meet our commitments for an increase. What worries me is the situation with the Land Forces. If I am the President, I wouldn't endorse a budget without financing provided modernization of the Land Forces.

Q: How far should the judicial reform?

Ts: We have achieved quite a lot. I hope the anti-corruption bill will go through fast (before the end of this year on second reading). I will not hesitate to move for changes in the Constitution if I don't see that the legislative changes adopted so far produce the expected results.

R: The cosmetic changes in the Supreme Judicial Council do not mean efficient struggle against corruption.

Radev attacks Tsacheva for putting stumbling blocks on the way of real reforms in the judiciary.

R: I will visit Romania as soon as I am elected, to see what real judicial reform looks like. I will invite representatives of the competent Romanian structures to visit and share experience.

Q: What the president can do to make more decisive steps in reforming the judiciary and fighting corruption?

Ts: A little more time is needed to carry through changes that Parliament has started.

R: Will meet all stakeholders, including NGOs [mentions Justice for All], to discuss what needs to be done and see what they have to propose, and will use the international experience.

Q: How can you work to bring together a divided nation?

R: The president is a unifier of the nation. Should be able to work for consensus. The President must formulate goals to unite the nation.

Ts: I do not accept this denial of what has been achieved by the predecessors. We need a national doctrine. The president should start a debate with the people, NGOs, everybody, on the preparation of a national doctrine.

Q: What is Bulgaria's national goal?

R: To enable everybody to develop his or her potential, to be able to work and achieve a normal living standards.

Ts: An educated and prosperous nation in a stable country with working institutions with mutual respect among the religions and communities.

Tsacheva got emotional when the host asked them to share a personal story from all the meetings they have had during the campaign. She told the story of her grandfather who was apparently killed by the communists and her family kept this fact a secret from her and her sister for long years. The story of her grandfather apparently came up at a meeting with supporters during the campaign.

Q: Is there any political force you cannot work with?

R: I can work with all of them, if they are lawfully elected. A President has to be able to do that. A president must support the parties when they work in the interest of people and be able to say "no" when they don't.

Q: Is there a future for the Belene N-plant project?

Ts: We have two reactors and the question is what to do with them. If no government involvement is expected, or electricity purchase guarantees, the answer is "yes". I don't want to see the reactors go to scrap.

R: We cannot look at this project in isolation. We need a long-term strategy and find a place for it there. I believe we should build new nuclear power facilities and the experts are the ones to say how.

Q: Would you support the propositions from the national referendum [held simultaneously with the first round of presidential elections and asking voters to support or reject the introduction of a two-round majoritarian system for parliamentary elections and compulsory voting and a 90.9 per cent reduction of subsidies for political parties]?

Ts: When people give such overwhelming support to the questions, their will should be respected. I would insist that the respective changes be carried through the soonest possible.

R: Yes. The will of people should be respected. The referendum taught politicians a good lesson: listen to people.

Q: What is your personal cause or campaign?

Ts: The unity of the nation.

R: I have always had one cause: strong and prosperous Bulgaria.

Final remarks:

R: We are headed for the future looking backwards. It is time to turn forward, to come together as a nation and end all divisions. This time Bulgarian people must make their own choice and elect a President who is capable of independent thinking.

Ts: I am headed to the President's office with my background as a lawyer, with my experience and ability to keep going and not give up no matter what. Bulgaria must preserve its orientation: it belongs to Europe. It must keep its values.