site.btaBulgaria Marks Anniversary of End of Communist Regime

ESD 17:11:01 10-11-2019
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104 POLITICS - END OF COMMUNIST REGIME - ANNIVERSARY

Bulgaria Marks Anniversary of End of
Communist
Regime


Sofia, November 10 (BTA) - Thirty years ago today, Bulgaria saw the ouster of its long-serving communist leader Todor Zhivkov which practically started the transition to democracy and a free market economy. The country's leaders commented on the magnitude of the events of 30 years ago and the significance of what followed them.

President Rumen Radev wrote in a Facebook post: "Thirty years ago Bulgaria set on a new path with enthusiasm. However, the hope for a better life clashed with deep socio-economic turmoil for which the people paid a high price. Criminal privatization, a rewriting of history, the erosion of Bulgarian culture and traditions are some of the developments which pushed us into material and spiritual poverty. [...] Bulgaria has made its important geopolitical choice but has failed to build solid foundations of the rule of law, the separation of powers and the freedom of speech. That is why political assessments still are at odds with the realities lived by the majority of Bulgarians. Poverty, unpunished corruption and crime, and the poor quality of public services keep driving young people away, robbing us of our future."

Radev said that if Bulgaria is to turn into a normal European country with high living standards and security, it should guarantee the irreversible nature of the democratic processes, the rule of law, transparency and effectiveness of the institutions, a new political culture and a free, empowered civil society.

The President also wrote: "Defending democracy means showing a will to counter any attempt at substitution. It means that we must reject apathy and alienation, which tear people away from their own country and leave a few to decide its future in secrecy. Nothing can stand in the way of a Bulgarian nation rallied around the cause of breathing new life into its country and standing up for its dignity." LN/DD