How to survive DSB

"As long as the right is led by Boyko Borisov, it has no chance of rising"

~ Ivan Kostov

A threat of institutional death looms over all possible coalition partners of the new leading force in the person of "Continuing Change."

Slavi Trifonov's people are pushed into a corner by their political failures and contradictions. The Socialists must realize that their presence in a cabinet that will give way on the Macedonia issue (and who knows what else) after pressure from the US Congress will, to put it mildly, not be seen as a winning move among their voters. In Democratic Bulgaria, the Facebook stormtroopers of the three constituent parties are already waging open battles among themselves, threatening to split the coalition created with much effort. Let's turn our attention to the processes in the DB.

The presence of new, more intelligent politicians, with certain successes in the executive branch, caused serious electoral damage to the campaign-weary DB. It returned them to the natural dimensions of the union, which does not represent a very heavy defeat, although falling from a height hurts. Before Slavi crashed the process, the boys from downtown Sofia were already planning how to divide the pie. Today, the danger actually comes from the upcoming coalition with Harvard graduates, not so much from the dropped result.

Under the leadership of Panev and Sandov, the Green Movement has transformed into a constructive party, capable of “getting the job done,” as they would say in the US. This is also observed elsewhere in “Democratic Bulgaria,” for example in the style of Martin Dimitrov, but it is a clear line from the work of the Green representatives in the Sofia Municipal Council. The smallest party in the Green Movement was on the verge of playing the role of a hidden gold finger in the new National Assembly, but the seats were distributed differently. The environmentalists will continue to maneuver and hold their portfolio of issues, which remains rather unthreatened. The Green Movement may not be the last port of call for the movement.

In contrast, "Yes, Bulgaria" no longer has its own portfolio. Their themes were adopted and taken over by the new dynamic leaders. The paradox of victory - if you are an NGO and politicians agree with your reforms, you write a report to Open Society as a winner, but if you are a party, you lose your unique proposal to the voters. Moreover, it may turn out that Kiril and Assen will cope more successfully with the task of changing the judicial system. Then what is Hristo for? Worse, if you enter a cabinet with the PP, all the victories are theirs, while all the losses are yours. And you can't refuse a coalition, everyone wants a government. A difficult situation, with no obvious solution.

Unlike the gloomy horizons ahead of the doubles, there is a visible but difficult salvation from oblivion ahead of the "Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria". The party in the DB, which most distinctly originates from the right of the Transition. That terrain of the Bulgarian political space, which in the coming years will be liberated by the fading GERB. DSB lost its face and legacy in recent years, shrinking under the dominance of Hristo Ivanov and being sucked in by Borisov. Let us never forget how the young and dynamic Kostovites of 2009 became Boyko's brides by 2019 - Daniel Mitov, Proshko Proshkov, Petar Nikolov, Petar Moskov, etc.

As for the BSP, Vazrazhdane and ITN [1], the political realignment also gives a chance to the handful of remaining Kostovists. The party from Karnigradska Street will either be absorbed into the next government of change, or will ride the wave of the realignment. A few ideas for a plan for how the resurgence can be realized in the coming months:

1. DSB must understand the real political situation - first in the sunset of GERB, second in the sunrise of the new political division.
2. DSB needs to clean up Kostovism from the historical overlays of the Transition (the old division) and harness its engine to answer the new big questions. Similar to Diablo 2 Resurrected. [2]
3. The DSB must rediscover Kostovism in the context of relevant political divisions. For example: the solid defense of conducting independent, Bulgarian politics without blind obedience to Russia, the EU, or the US.
4. DSB cannot fail to participate with the votes of its elected representatives in the new government, but it must declare independence from the formal coalition. Support only on general issues, without people in the executive branch and without coalition agreements.
5. DSB must confront itself and its partners for manifestations of passive Gerberism. It must give up once and for all any flirtations with GERB (with or without Borisov).
6. The DSB must abandon modern far-left ideas such as the Green Deal, the euro, and hate crime laws.
7. DSB can occupy the intellectual, yellow-paved niche in the new anti-globalist pole. A space that will not be free for very long. Vazrajdane is working, and BSP has the ready capacity.
8. DSB (again following the Kostov model) to build a serious expert potential for participation in the important debates until 2030 without accepting theses freely released by the European Commission. Reports, conferences, written text - on topics such as inflation, health, sovereignty, etc. They have the capacity of young people with such opportunities.
9. DSB must seek a path to the many urban right-wing communities that are not represented by the party - Christians, Macedonian activists, leftists, libertarians, unruly 70s, etc. To sober up some others who are slouching with their cohesion-progressive faces to our general shame.
10. The DSB must firmly close its doors to Gerber rats abandoning ship – formal or informal, present or past.
11. DSB needs to look at its stock of blue grannies and young activists, harness them into a new, reborn structure - with a clear assessment of who and why survived the years of disintegration.

These exemplary 10+1 points are a common skeleton for building the DSB in the 20s of the 21st century. For a new life for the classics. In fact, many of them are valid for all parties that find themselves in the same situation. For a full understanding of the logic behind the proposals, I recommend familiarizing yourself with the Theory of Political Realignment.

It is important to conclude with the note that all these efforts would make sense if the political leaders and members of the parties in question have any desire to continue in the years to come. If the goal is simply to cash in and retire, the path is different. In this particular case, I am a skeptic, but if you have a belt, offer it to the drowning man.

[1] No longer

[2] I know that the two games don't have the same graphics engine, but the new one was made to preserve the ideology of the old one.

Did you like it? Take a minute to support the EKIP on Patreon!