Presidential candidates make promises they can't keep

Borislav Shterev

Several things are striking in the gathering momentum of the presidential campaign. First, there is a clear lack of political leaders who can consolidate the electorate on both the left and the right. The right has failed to produce a politician who enjoys universal trust, and the broad coalition has collapsed. The left's candidate is relatively unpopular even among his own party, as has become clear over the past month, and his goal will likely be to consolidate the left rather than attract voters "from outside."

An exception at the moment is Meglena Kuneva, who relies on her reputation as a former European Commissioner and the image of a non-partisan candidate, which appeals to those voters who do not trust the political system. The trust in her can also be perceived as a signal that Bulgarians prefer people who have worked abroad and whose assessment has been given by an external, independent body. It is clear that Euro-optimism is still high in our country, while Euro-pessimists are gaining strength in other EU members.

We should also mention the GERB candidate, who was convincingly leading in the preliminary polls even before he was announced. This can be explained in several ways, but most likely voters are already tired of both the noisy campaigns and loud promises, as well as the squabbles in the media of the last two years, when the president and government were from opposing parties.

On the other hand, it is possible that voters have begun to understand that the presidential vote has the least importance for the political development of the country. If someone has not realized it yet, it is time to do so. Although he is the only highest state body that is directly elected, the head of state is severely limited in his powers. The strongest means of participation in the legislative power of the president is the right of veto, but even that is reduced to a formality - the veto is overcome extremely easily by the parliamentary majority.

Next, the limited powers, however, once again did not prevent the candidates from making statements that they could not fulfill under the current constitution. All statements of an economic and social nature are nothing more than PR. The president's only means of influencing the legislative process is the legally recognized opportunity to make statements before the National Assembly - a power that has certainly not been exercised during the last three terms (15 years), and perhaps even before that.

The previous two presidents have repeatedly raised the issue of presidential powers, arguing that they need to be expanded. Indeed, Bulgaria is one of the few parliamentary republics, if not the only one, where the president is directly elected by the people, instead of being nominated by the National Assembly. No less puzzling and controversial is the figure of the vice president, who acts as a kind of “reserve”, a position that comes on the scene only if something unforeseen happens to the incumbent.

It is also worth noting the growing apathy towards the electoral process, which is characteristic not only of Bulgaria, but of Europe as a whole. This year's coincidence of the presidential elections with the local ones is successful from a budgetary point of view, but it seems that it will lead to the routine holding of a second round in the presidential elections. The reason for this is the complicated procedure for the presidential vote (in order to win in the first round, a majority of 50% + 1 is required in addition to a voter turnout of over 50%, given that the turnout is showing a decreasing trend).

I believe that in view of the budget savings that are imperative in the conditions of the economic crisis, the powers of the president could be reviewed, but not in the direction of expansion, but rather in the direction of limitation. In addition to the problems with the vote mentioned so far, the coexistence of a president and a government with opposing beliefs in recent years has proven unproductive, with the conflict being carried over to the media without leading to any real positive results in political terms. Ultimately, the president has more representative than managerial functions. Last but not least, the post of vice president has established itself as absolutely redundant and looks like a tempting candidate for reduction in the optimization of the state administration.

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