Political analysts describe the election campaign in Bulgaria as sluggish and boring. The parties and coalitions are running an election campaign, as if there were no protests in Bulgaria and no problems exist in this country, said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio Associate Professor Ivo Indzhov. In his words, people are informed through videos broadcasts over the radio, the television and the Internet. The main question is what the highlights in the election campaign are.

The topic regarding persons with disabilities is missing from the political programmes, alarmed 21 national organizations representing people with disabilities. They represent 180,000 citizens with disabilities. In an official address to the political parties participating at this year’s Parliamentary elections, these organizations demand that the dialogue on the people with disabilities continues after the general elections. “We noted with concern that the topic regarding the life and the problems of people with disabilities was missing from the election campaign”, wrote Veska Sabeva, Deputy Chairperson of the national disability-related organizations.

An analysis of the Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy (BOLD) confirms the fact that a large number of parties categorically avoided certain topics. Most political parties have a problem formulating human rights in their election platforms, said in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio sociologist Bozhidar Ivanov who is an activist of the Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy. Bozhidar lives in Germany. He read the election messages of various political parties on the eve of the April 4 general elections.

“It is important to note that some topics related to the judicial system for instance are present in almost every political platform. However, most parties, including parties that were represented at the last National Assembly, categorically avoid other topics such as overcoming ethnic prejudices, the inclusion of different groups of people in society and addressing inequalities, which have existed in Bulgaria for years and do not concern the level of incomes only.”

Why some topics are considered taboo during the election campaign?

“Most parties are probably actively avoiding these topics, because they do not want to suffer any damages, or for any other reason. But, in point of fact, there is only one extreme position on topics such as xenophobia, religious intolerance, conditions of people with disabilities, which, however, is central to the discourse in the election campaign and the other parties remain silent about these issues. It turns out that this extreme is the only possible for the ordinary citizen, but this is not the case.”

Do citizens find it easy to make their choice? It is easy to tell the difference between the political platforms offered by the parties or they offer the same things, trying to reach an abstract voter?

“I would not say that they are trying to reach the universal voter. On the contrary. The ambiguous positions on certain issues actually further polarize people and divide the Bulgarian society, which is too divided anyway.”

Editing by: Elena Karkalanova (interview by Irina Nedeva, Horizont channel-BNR)

English version: Kostadin Atanasov