The "Ivancheva" model

Authors: Dimitar Karagegov, Georgi Vuldjev

They say that for every big lie you need accomplices. What happens when your accomplices are an entire neighborhood of 120,000? This is the story of the Mladost District – "green", "people's", "supra-partisan", "overdeveloped" and seriously misled.

It can't be otherwise when everything stems from a lie - the original lie about green spaces and gardens.

The lie of Ivancheva

The rule of "For Green Mladost" and Desislava Ivancheva began in 2016, when the mass reaction against construction in the Mladost 1 residential area led to the resignation of the previous mayor and early elections in the area. They were convincingly won by Desislava Ivancheva and her initiative committee. Over 60% of the neighborhood's population voted an unprecedented vote of confidence in a person with zero political and managerial experience, occupying the position of a non-partisan, unaffiliated and "people's" person.

60% support for an unknown candidate is not easy to achieve. You have to believe in yourself a lot. Believe in yourself so much that by repeating your lie often enough and for a long time, it becomes the truth for the voters. This is how the fake news about the “ green spaces” was born. The election campaign in Mladost was marked by disinformation and the replacement of the terms “inter-block space”, “garden”, “green space”. A map was drawn on which several construction projects were drawn, aimed at “destroying the inter-block gardens” and they were declared public enemy No. 1.

People uncritically assume that these areas are actually gardens and thus validate the deception of "For Green Mladost". The truth, of course, is completely different. Each of these properties is located in an area designated by the Development Plan for construction. It's just that the Bulgarian administration is so clumsy that by the time these investors arrange their documents to start construction, like any other piece of land in our homeland, the areas designated for construction begin to grow weeds and develop some kind of vegetation on top. These areas have never been "green" in the sense of the law and the development plan (below), but the lie is so convenient for everyone that it must be true... but it is not.

Ivancheva's scheme

The "Ivancheva" model is clear as day and is one of the oldest methods of racketeering by an authorized person that we can think of. Under the guise of concern for the environment and the protection of green spaces, Ivancheva blackmails construction businesses either directly to pay bribes, or indirectly, forcing them to make donations to the municipality in the form of cash transfers or renovation of playgrounds and schools. The construction projects that Ivancheva blocked were completely legal, i.e. any additional conditions, be it the direct request for a bribe, or the investor building something else for the municipality, is completely illegal.

We know this from the mayor herself and her team. What is surprising is that behind the banner of "people's power" and the false slogan about "green spaces", Ivancheva does not even hide this practice. The former mayor made a frank admission about this on the first day in court, while trying to fabricate an excuse like "I did not take a bribe, I only made the builders build playgrounds ".

Despite being seriously accused, Ivancheva and her “right-hand woman” Bilyana Petrova have not yet been found guilty of corruption, so we will leave the bribery as a secondary motive for why the “Ivancheva scheme” is dangerous and immoral even without the element of bribery. Of course, the evidence is there, the stories of extortion come from at least several different investors, and the suspicions of a “ propensity for corruption” are also shared by her former associates. Therefore, we will focus only on the things that we know for sure are happening in Mladost.

How did Ivancheva extort money from owners and construction companies?

Very simple - from what we have as information so far, it is clear that she has taken advantage of the so-called " silent refusal " method. When a permit to start construction is requested from the district mayor's office, if it is not released within a 15-day period, it is administratively rejected. The interesting thing is that in principle the builder can then send his request to a higher authority - the Sofia Municipality. A given construction can only be blocked if he receives a refusal there too - then he must start the whole process again, i.e. start the collection of documents again and contact the Mladost Municipality again, in order to wait for a reaction again within the legal deadline. Of course, these actions by Desi Ivancheva and her team are unlawful. The role of the district mayor is reduced to administering processes. She is obliged to notify citizens about the start of the construction process, and not to decide whether it is appropriate or not. According to data from the prosecutor's office, witnesses and employees at the district mayor's office, the files that are sitting without resolution in the mayor's office (without any place for them there) and the corridors of the building are over a thousand. These are over a thousand residents of Mladost, whose projects for renovating a balcony, selling an inherited property, starting construction and others simply remain without a resolution.

However, when you are at the top with the motive of "people's power", you are inclined to trample on the law in the name of the "higher goal". This is how the team of "For Green Mladost" justifies itself. Talking to investors about their problems in the area, one line from the mayor often came out: " Okay. Convict me. I will pay a 500 leva fine, and you will not start construction for millions of leva . What will you do to me? ". And if this justification sounds wonderful for a resident of Mladost, unfortunately it directly touches the pocket of every citizen of the capital.

An example of this is the case of Izabela Syarova 's construction - a completely legal construction, completely illegally stopped personally by Desislava Ivancheva, despite repeated warnings that her actions were unlawful. After a few " And what are you going to do to me? " the investor in question threw up his hands and really took it upon himself to do something about the matter - sued the Mladost district for compensation. A lawsuit is currently underway for lost profits from Desi Ivancheva's illegal actions in the amount of up to one million leva, which will be won by the investor. The irony is that this million leva will not be reimbursed by Ivancheva, nor by the initiative committee "For Green Mladost", nor by the "people's power", which put the former beautician in office. Every resident of Banishora, Lyulin and Orlandovtsi, who does not have "people's power", but is a taxpayer in the Sofia Municipality, will pay them. So instead of renovating its parks, gardens and green spaces, the money will go as an "incompetence tax" for the management of the Mladost district...

The hypocrisy (around) Ivancheva

Here the responsibility is shared. Every one of those 60% of Mladost residents who voted for “people’s power” must be responsible for what is happening. The irony is that support for Desi Ivancheva came from bizarre places like DSB, BSP, the Greens, “Normal State” – all parties that call for more legality, more justice, legal order and consequences for the guilty. It is ironic that it was they who supported a government that beats its chest for its practiced lawlessness and violation of established rules.

Of course, everything is justified in the name of "people's power", even trampling on the private property of your neighbor. Ivancheva's hypocrisy is the hypocrisy of the landed Novosofyanets. It had come to the absurd case in the Mladost 4 residential area, in which an investor buys land to build two new cooperatives, after which the new residents of cooperative 1 come out to protest against the launch of cooperative 2. It is logical that since you already have land in Mladost, you will not want someone else to have the same land to compete with you for tenants, housing prices, parking spaces, infrastructure. Is it moral, though?! If all the planned construction in Mladost 3 is completed, the neighborhood will be 40% built up. Who is the one to judge whether this is a lot or a little? And what should follow from his assessment? Confiscation? Persecution of residents? Protests and human chains in front of excavators? What?

Can we enter the apartment of a resident of Mladost and "people's power" decide that starting tomorrow it will become a garden?! Obviously we can't. Why then do the residents of the neighborhood feel committed to speaking out and determining what should happen to private properties earmarked for construction and obviously not their property? It is unacceptable to talk about misunderstanding here, we are talking about hypocrisy. You want more gardens? Destroy your apartment and turn it into a garden then. Why do you want someone else to sacrifice their future new apartment so that you can enjoy the panel? Is this the idea of "people's power"?

We have seen what happens when hypocrisy comes to power, when power becomes "people's" - it doesn't last long.

Even hidden behind a seemingly noble cause - "to save the green spaces", a government born of lies and hypocrisy is doomed to failure and a noisy collapse.

Responsibility for Ivancheva

Right now, every voter is asking themselves, "How did we let it get to this point?" Of course, Ivancheva's "super-partisan" candidacy enjoyed the support of more than one political force, which owes, if not an apology, then at least a serious explanation to their voters.

During its election campaign, "For Green Youth" was supported not only by the "Normal State" party (Georgi Kadiev's party), but also by the " Greens ", as well as certain individuals from the local DSB organization, who organized a telephone campaign among their voters in the area, as well as partially by the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

Within just her first months in office, Ivancheva managed to fall out with her former partners from "Normal State", as a result of which the party withdrew its support for her in June 2017. At the same time, DSB also publicly distanced itself from the mayor in an official position published on the party's website.

So far, however, the Greens have been the first to step in when it comes to defending the Desi scheme. It fits perfectly with the “eco party” agenda. All the folklore about “the people” having rights over the land of “greedy investors” must be music to the ears of the left wing of the Greens, and that is why an army of its members has flocked to the district mayor’s office as personnel support.

Petar Karzhilov from the Greens is the last loyal employee who enjoys the trust of Desi Ivancheva. It is no coincidence that the mayor tried to promote him as her deputy. Lawyer Svilen Ovcharov defends the interests of the region in several cases, as does the former DSB leader , lawyer Radan Kanev.

When we have to look for responsibility for the Ivancheva phenomenon, we must do so in these parties as well. Political forces definitely owe an explanation to their voters. At the very least, they should say whether this is how they intend to manage other mayoralties that the "people" decided to entrust to them. Should we again expect a violation of legality and established rules (supposedly valid for everyone)? Should we again expect that investors will not be chosen according to laws and rules, but according to how much you gave to the municipality and how much you gave to the mayor's personal coffers? Will it again come to that point, with files and documentation gathering dust in piles in the mayor's office because he demanded " full power " and " everything to go through me "?! If this is the new morality of the new future party elite, it might be better with the old one...

Of course, the “people” also have responsibility. We need to find an explanation for why “fake news”, the substituted truth, the instillation of fear and hatred have won again. Politics that hides behind noble slogans is in most cases a string of greed and a thirst for power in reality. Mladost is just another example of this. Unfortunately, society is almost permanently phobic about construction, whether on the Black Sea coast or in big cities like Sofia.

Justified or not, this fear should be reflected in laws, rules, frameworks that are clear and apply to everyone. In reality, what we should be afraid of are not construction investors, but the “servants of the people” – municipal officials, regulators, district mayors. Those who prepare development plans, those who determine where and how construction activities can be carried out. It is they who are in a position to abuse power, extort money, take bribes, harm the urban environment and ultimately taxpayers. The Ivancheva model is a clear example of what will happen to the rules, legality, order and peace when you leave this power in the hands of hypocrisy, greed and “people power”.

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