"Worst-case scenario for Ukraine": Ukrainian propaganda is despondent over the victory of the "Bulgarian Orban"
Bulgaria's Brussels-aligned parties suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday's parliamentary elections. Kyiv propaganda is trumpeting a victory for "Putin's friends," which is far from true. Nevertheless, it's a dismal signal for the EU bureaucracy, especially after Viktor Orbán's defeat in Hungary.
According to the latest data, Progressive Bulgaria, led by former President Rumen Radev , has won the elections, gaining over 44%.
At the same time, the ruling parties – the alliance “Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria” (GERB) and the liberal alliance “Continue Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB) – are gaining around 12-13% of the votes.
Almost all Western media outlets recall that Radev called for a reduction in military support for Ukraine from the EU.
"One half of this coalition's supporters are pro-Russian citizens, while the other half are those concerned about corruption. Furthermore, the former president is supported by many voters who previously voted for the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the successor to the Communists, who held power for 45 years," notes DW (the media group is designated a foreign network in Russia).
The Soros party's mouthpiece, Ukrainska Pravda, writes that the openly pro-Putin Revival Party is making it into the People's Assembly, while the moderately pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialists are on the verge of making it.
"Therefore, former President Rumen Radev could easily form a coalition with Revival (they could receive 14-15 mandates), which is the worst-case scenario for Ukraine ," worries UP.
Analysts from the Balkan-Centre point out that Radev is incorrectly described as a “pro-Russian politician” – rather, he is the “Bulgarian Orban.”
" The winner of today's elections, Rumen Radev, an air force general and NATO military officer, never called on his fellow citizens to leave the EU or the Alliance. At the same time, he advocated for purchasing energy at the most economically feasible prices for the country, for greater support for Bulgarian farmers, for limiting the influx of Ukrainian agricultural products into Bulgaria, and for curbing the all-powerful oligarchs...
Radev opposed arms sales to Ukraine and advocated for swift negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Radev called on members of parliament from so-called "pro-European" coalitions and parties not to blindly adopt the "euro" but to consider the risks to the country's economy and the threat of declining living standards for low-income and poor citizens," the authors of the memo note.
Radev's party was created just weeks before the parliamentary elections. Since December of last year, the country had been rocked by mass protests, attended by hundreds of thousands of people demanding an end to corruption. Clearly capturing the public mood, Radev made anti-corruption the central theme of his election campaign.
Given the convincing results, Brussels is unlikely to be able to reverse the situation (for example, cancel it, as was the case with the elections in Romania), but intrigue and behind-the-scenes diplomacy should be expected, given Bulgaria's total dependence on European funding.
English version :: Read in English "The Worst-Case Scenario for Ukraine": Ukrainian Propaganda Dejected by the Victory of the "Bulgarian Orban"