What are the programs of the main political forces?

Authors: Georgi Stoyanov, Georgi Karavasilev

Many people question the point of exercising their right to vote in the current system of representative democracy.

Nevertheless, when it comes to not only who will spend the money you stole, but also who is about to steal even more to fulfill some of their promises, one would seriously consider whether it's not time to vote.

If you have decided to do it, but do not want to vote only by gut feeling, then we have read the programs of the main political forces and extracted the most meaningful and the most meaningless policies that they have set for themselves in the main sectors. The parties have been selected according to who are the favorites to enter the next parliament according to sociological surveys and have published full election programs.

Every political party is talking about green energy and e-government. All these proposals can be summarized with the phrase - we digitize everything in the state, even what makes no sense, using only green energy.

The only exception for green energy is made by VMRO, as in their program they simply mention that they would subject it to re-reading and changes to take into account the Bulgarian situation (the thermal power plants in the Maritsa basin).

But enough with the similarities, let's look at the differences by sector:

DB

Democratic Bulgaria is the coalition with the largest program among all those who have the potential to be part of the next parliament of the Republic of Bulgaria. Composed of 3 different parties, its program clearly distinguishes ideological vacillations in each sector.

The economic and financial proposals of Democratic Bulgaria are in the direction of decentralization and reduction of the tax burden. It is planned to reduce the central administration and transfer public services to regions and municipalities. Fiscal decentralization and the right of municipalities to set local taxes and fees are also among the proposals. The coalition proposes the introduction of a non-taxable income of 500 leva per month and the possibility of raising the VAT registration threshold to 200,000 leva. It is also planned to introduce a clear mechanism for setting a minimum wage, without allowing “populist growth”.

Democratic Bulgaria's social proposals are primarily aimed at children and pensioners. It is planned to separate the functions related to children and the family at the ministerial level, and provide financial assistance to families whose children attend private kindergartens.

The coalition proposes to increase contributions to the second insurance pillar without increasing the overall insurance burden. The projections are that by the end of the decade the average pension will be 1,000 leva.

In the justice sector, the platform offers many detailed changes. The most significant are:

• Reducing the parliamentary quota in the SJC to one-third of the composition (5 members) of a 15-member body
• The Prosecutor General shall be elected by the Parliament with a three-fifths majority (144 of the members of Parliament) upon the proposal of the Minister of Justice.
• Easier requirements for initiating referendums.
• Creation of a prosecutorial council composed of 11 members – 4 of them elected by prosecutors; 5 elected by parliament (representatives of various legal professions and organizations), the Prosecutor General (by law), the Minister of Justice (by law).
• In the current model of the SJC: introduction of a double majority (of all members and of judges directly elected by judges) when making decisions affecting the status and functioning of the courts and the career development of judges.

Democratic Bulgaria is paying serious attention to the Maritsa Iztok TPP in its measures in the energy sector, intending to turn it into a green energy center. The coalition believes that achieving 40% RES in energy production by 2030 is completely realistic. It is planned to reduce imported Russian gas and freeze the Belene NPP project.

In the healthcare sector, the state will continue to be the stepmother. Immediate actions are planned to restore the original form of management of the NHIF as a public institution. It is noteworthy, however, that the coalition intends to introduce transparency in the process and return civil control over the treatment of children abroad.

Democratic Bulgaria does not intend to save money in the “Education” sector either. Serious increases in the budgets for secondary education, higher education and science are planned. The total spending would be about 14-15% of the annual budget. The situation is similar in the cultural measures of the coalition, the implementation of which we would hardly expect to be realized.

The platform also pays serious attention to its measures towards the environment. It is planned to increase the number of protected areas, even at the cost of developing a system for buying up private properties. The price of garbage collection should be determined on the principle of "the polluter pays". Policies for a more environmentally friendly armed forces are also included.

Regarding our relations with other countries and supranational organizations, the positions of Democratic Bulgaria are as follows:

• Accepted in the Eurozone and Schengen.
• Macedonia in the EU with a historic compromise.
• Continuing active cooperation with NATO and the EU.
• Strengthening foreign policy towards Bulgarian communities abroad.
• Preventing the deployment of a model of differentiated integration, or a “two-speed Europe”.

In conclusion , we can define the program of "Democratic Bulgaria" as liberal and green, in line with pro-European policies. Some of the goals set are reasonable and achievable, but there are also many that are too ambitious for one mandate, even if you have the comfort of a full majority in the plenary hall.

ETC.

The PP's program "There are such people" is perhaps the only one that is relatively easy to read and understand - it contains only 5 priorities per sector with an explanation of how it will be achieved within one or two sentences. In almost every sector, a complete revision of what has been happening so far with these ministries is planned.

In the "Economy and Finance" sector, the ITN has focused on mainly right-wing policies - reducing the budget deficit to 1%, taking steps for fiscal decentralization, raising the threshold for VAT registration, transferring corporate tax when reinvesting profits, reducing the social security burden by up to 3%, as well as reducing public spending to 38% of GDP.

In the Energy sector, Trifonov's party has set as priorities, in addition to the Green Deal, the development of a mechanism for protecting the energy-vulnerable in the event of future market liberalization. As a good solution in the sector, it can be mentioned that the right to publicly accessible underground resources of property owners will be restored. In terms of social policy, the program has several left-wing measures: various benefits are promised for the elderly, children, parents of young children, as well as updating pensions. In addition to these measures, however, there are also sensible things such as a permanent increase in the tax relief for a child, tying the ceiling of social security income to the average salary and the possibility of more flexible and profitable management of funds in the second pillar of pension insurance.

In the Education sector, the most drastic change envisaged is the change in the model of school financing in relation to the economic interests of the country. It is also striking that here too an increase in salaries is proposed, but this time for scientists at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. According to the program, this increase will occur together with optimizing the employment of scientists, which is a good signal that perhaps it will not be a pure “buying” of people. The most left-wing policies in the ITN program are set in regional development. There, the construction of roads, highways, and an entirely new railway network is again envisaged. It is not clear where the money for these large-scale undertakings will come from. The policies for which they need more serious funds will most likely come from their idea of reducing bureaucracy and parallel digitalization, since no tax increases are planned during their mandate.

The conclusions that one can draw after reading their entire program are that it has unexpectedly few left-wing proposals and a rather balanced right-wing policy. For each of their ideas, they have set an expected deadline for achieving it or at least some of the steps, and we would hardly argue with most of the time forecasts.

VMRO

GERB's main coalition partner in the previous government is putting forward policies in its program similar to those it supported in the previous government.

In the “Economy and Finance” sector, VMRO advocates fiscal decentralization and the reduction of some taxes. It is planned that 2% of the general income tax will remain in the municipality where it is generated, as well as a reduction in non-tax administrative burdens for small and micro businesses, concerning the process of hiring and firing staff. The nationalists intend to eliminate the weekend tax, reduce the tax on ET from 15% to 10% and increase the threshold for VAT registration from 50,000 to 150,000 and 250,000 leva for the more backward regions. In addition, the creation of a single information portal for direct communication of businesses and citizens with the state is expected.

VMRO is betting on a number of left-wing measures in its social policy strategy. It is planned to increase the minimum wage (MW) every year. In addition, the MW should be different for different economic activities and regions. It is planned to maintain the annual increase of 10% in salaries in the army. VMRO is proposing the introduction of 100 leva vacation vouchers for every Bulgarian student, pupil, pensioner and worker. Another spending item included in their social program is reaching an average pension of 700 leva. One of the few right-wing measures in this sector is the exemption from VAT when purchasing residential property by a young family.

In the Energy sector, VMRO proposes to complete the construction of the Belene NPP without additional budget expenditures, but with the state retaining a decisive role in the project. The nationalists intend to review the Green Deal.

VMRO's agricultural measures are primarily on the left-wing economic spectrum:

• Preventing price dumping in the sector through the import of products from third countries.
• Continuing pressure on retail chains to offer mainly Bulgarian products.
• Continuation of the "young farmer" program. Increase in the amount of subsidies from 50,000 to 200,000 leva.

The nationalists intend to continue the state status of the Bulgarian Railways, as well as to renew the railway infrastructure.

VMRO intends to strengthen the influence of the state in education. Free textbooks and textbooks are planned for all students up to grade 12. Strengthening the regulatory role of the state in the higher education system and increasing the funding of Bulgarian higher education institutions, as well as increasing control by the Minister of Education over the implementation of policies for the development of higher education institutions. VMRO proposes the introduction of a minimum wage for graduates, which would be higher than the minimum for the country.

In the tourism sector, VMRO is proposing a reduction in VAT to 9% after 2021, as well as visa facilitation (electronic visas) for tourists from Russia and the CIS. In return, state financial support for charter flights is envisaged in the amount of 1/3 of the cost per tourist.

In the "Internal Security" sector, the VMRO envisages expanding the limits of inevitable self-defense and the right to own personal weapons, as well as the creation of voluntary detachments of citizens to preserve public order and combat crime. In contrast to these freedom-loving measures, it is envisaged to create military faculties in universities and open specialties in secondary education focused on military affairs, through joint projects between military schools and vocational high schools.

The most significant measures included in their program in the "Foreign Policy" sector are 2:

• Creation of a ministry for Bulgarians abroad, uniting concerns for Bulgarian organizations, education, cultural and information centers and media, and projects.
• Macedonia's exclusion from the EU due to falsification and substitution of the historical truth about the Macedonian language.

Most of the problems that VMRO wants to solve are not problems of today and yesterday. In this line of thought, one wonders why VMRO has not managed to push through at least some of them in 4 years. Excluding the positions on foreign policy and the rejection of the Istanbul Convention, VMRO cannot boast of other achievements close to what they talk about in their current program.

BSP

In its program, the Bulgarian Socialist Party does not betray the expectations placed on it for a moment - quite a few left-wing ideas, additional state intervention in every sector.

In the field of "Economy and Finance" they rely mainly on the expected measures for distributing money to companies through the BDB, introducing family income taxation, a housing program for young and qualified personnel in economically backward regions, but they also go as far as absurdities such as "support for the development of space technologies". Fortunately, they also have three right-wing measures in the field - reducing VAT on food and medicines and reducing the administrative burden for small and medium-sized companies, as well as the decentralization program - more money to remain in the municipalities. As a contradictory position, we can also put the fact that they are ready to continue with bringing Bulgaria into the Eurozone without holding a referendum on the topic.

In the energy sector, they are again betting on the construction of the Belene NPP with state money and the development of green energy. In social policy, they practically have one right-wing measure – the abolition of taxes on income from labor for people aged 18 to 26. The remaining planned policies are entirely left-wing and burden the budget even more – 250 leva for each student, free textbooks, free kindergartens and nurseries, free medicines for children up to 14 years of age, guaranteeing the right to work and even creating a new state structure called “State Social Enterprises”, whose activities are not clear from the program.

In the healthcare sector, they talk about the need to abolish the status of hospitals as commercial companies, introduce the status of a "Protected Medical Institution" and the classic update of salaries in the sector. Their proposals in the field of "Education" are mainly populist, but those that make an impression are: placing the teaching profession under the protection of the state, introducing one textbook for all subjects, eliminating delegated budgets. In other areas, more significant and again limiting freedoms and burdening the budget proposals are: the termination of the granting of concessions to state tourist sites, a moratorium on construction at least 300m from the seashore, the creation of a new coordination structure between the Ministry of Sports, schools, universities and municipalities, as well as at least 1% of GDP state spending on culture.

In conclusion, we can say that the native socialists and communists can be relatively satisfied with this program, in which over 80% of the measures are left-wing, but for now they are far from the modern trends in the left in the West.

Stand up! Get your ass out!

Next on the list is the program of "Stand Up! Get Out!" - the coalition around Maya Manolova, Nikolay Hadzhigenov and Arman Babikyan that officially emerged around the end of the protests against GERB in 2020. In addition to their initial 70 measures, the protesters have created a comprehensive program for governance for the next 4 years.

The coalition's economic and financial measures are focused on financial decentralization, primarily reducing taxes and administrative burdens. It is planned to introduce a tax-free minimum in the amount of one minimum wage and maintain a 10% tax rate for income above this minimum. It is also planned to introduce a minimum hourly rate with the aim of achieving a minimum income of 1,250 leva per month.

This formation also offers the following tax reductions:

• Raising the threshold for mandatory VAT registration from BGN 50,000 to BGN 200,000.
• Introduction of a zero corporate tax rate on the share of profits reinvested in Bulgaria.
• Reduction of the tax burden in the part concerning the tax on insurance premiums and the tax on income from interest and term bank deposits.
• Elimination of weekend tax.

In return, a tax on luxury goods is planned.

The platform decided to maintain the current social policies, adding a few more related to children and pensioners. The following government spending is planned:

• Payment of one-time benefits for the first, second and third child.
• Payment of a one-time benefit of 10 thousand BGN for each second and third child to parents who work and have been insured for the last 2 years.
• Increase maternity pay in the second year to 60% of the salary, but not less than the minimum wage.
• Providing free kindergartens and nurseries for all children. Receiving vouchers for private kindergartens and nurseries in the event of a shortage of places in public ones.

The coalition also proposes solutions for the country's justice system. The following measures are included:

• Abolition of the Great National Assembly.
• Limiting the unchecked power of the Prosecutor General.
• Closure of the Specialized Criminal Court and the Specialized Criminal Court of Appeal.
• Adoption and initiation of a procedure for early termination of the mandate of the current Prosecutor General.

The energy policies aim to preserve jobs in the “Mini Maritsa Iztok” complex, as well as to build new capacities at the Kozloduy NPP site /7th and 8th units/ with proven economic efficiency of the project. Diversification of natural gas sources is also aimed at. Budget spending for energy-poor citizens is also planned. The healthcare sector is dominated by left-wing measures. The party’s main concern will be to place the patient at the center of the healthcare system. This will happen through a serious increase in public funds in the system. An increase in funding for pre-hospital care and follow-up care is planned.

Education is also subordinated to the state in the measures of "Stand Up! Get Out!", with spending in this sector to reach 4.5% of GDP. Part of these costs are planned to increase teachers' salaries. The coalition plans to focus on promoting vocational education and training, as well as creating practices for digital and distance education.

In the "Environment" sector, a ban on construction in protected areas - dunes, the seashore, natural parks, etc. is planned. It is planned to build a modern system for waste collection and sustainable waste management. Introduction of the "Polluter Pays" formula when determining the "household waste" fee and the tax on cars.

The coalition supports the entry of our country into the Eurozone and Schengen. They also support the entry of North Macedonia into the EU with guaranteed respect for the rights of Bulgarian communities, cessation of the use of hate speech and strict implementation of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborhood and Cooperation. An increase in the defense budget to 2% of GDP is planned, as well as rearmament and modernization of the army.

Overall, the program of "Stand Up! Get Your Ass Out!" is mixed, containing both left-wing and some right-wing policies, but with a stronger emphasis on the left. We could define it as center-left.

GERB

The party that has ruled Bulgaria for 10 of the last 12 years has proven that it does not keep the promises it makes in its election programs. Defining itself as a right-wing party, GERB has already increased the maximum social security threshold several times. GERB promised to reduce the number of employees in the administration back in the 2009 elections, but 12 years later we have a bloated and sluggish one.

With the support of GERB, through the refusal of the former Minister of Justice Danail Kirilov to nominate a candidate for prosecutor, the current one - Ivan Geshev was elected. GERB's rule caused a water crisis and water regime in Pernik. GERB also got their hands on the gambling business, adopting a law to nationalize it.

During the past administration, GERB proved itself as a party that was willing to regulate shared travel and shared accommodation platforms. They even took steps towards establishing a state booking. GERB, together with its coalition partners from VMRO, acted towards abandoning the Bulgarian currency by joining the ERM2 and the Banking Union on the path to adopting the euro.

The previous government also provided additional funding from the budget to First Investment Bank so that our entry into ERM2 and the Banking Union could be implemented and so that the current owners of the bank could continue to have a controlling stake in it.

GERB also touched on the fuel business, voting to create a “State Petroleum Company.” A year later, the company does not have a single facility, but in return, salaries are paid to directors.

Borisov's party decided to "gather" some votes for the upcoming elections by increasing pensions, salaries in the administration and the police in the run-up to the election. In this way, they adopted an extremely inflated budget for the current year.

GERB also proved to be inconsistent in introducing measures against the coronavirus. Literally within hours they rejected what they had introduced. In the last 1 year, the party leader, Boyko Borisov, hid from the media and appeared either from the notorious jeep or from a report in some remote Bulgarian village. Far from the important and uncomfortable issues. Democracy was turned into a jeepocracy.

And during this GERB mandate, unnecessary and overpriced sports facilities were built. Roads that passed through the stands of a stadium. The tradition of repairing the repair just a few months after the completion of the initial one was continued.

All of this was not foreseen in GERB's previous election program, and therefore we believe that dedicating time to their program is unnecessary in view of the fulfillment of the commitments made.

The conclusions from the read and selected programs of the main political parties are several - most parties have centrist sentiments, but unfortunately, they often resort to populist and loud statements without specifics, numerous promises for higher incomes for those employed in the state sector or new large-scale projects, the success of which as policies is probably tied to raising taxes. On the other hand, among the programs of many parties there are also proposals to ease the tax burden in a number of aspects - by raising the threshold for VAT registration, eliminating the tax on reinvested profits and introducing a non-taxable minimum. If you ultimately decide that no party deserves your trust, you can always cast your vote, like the Miracle Grandfather Raccoon.

Note: The comments expressed in this text represent the personal opinions of the authors. The text does not constitute an expression of support or a call to vote for any political party on the part of the authors and the EKIP as an organization.