The Bulgarian National Movement (VMRO), the conservative party led by former deputy prime minister Krasimir Karakachanov, has issued an appeal to all “patriotic conservative forces” in the country to join in an alliance to bring Bulgaria out of its current political crisis. VMRO wants to affirm Bulgaria as a national state, without same-sex marriages, and free from gender propaganda.
The Bulgarian National Movement seeks to form the conservative alliance in preparation for elections in Bulgaria scheduled for April 2. It will be the fifth time since April 2021 that Bulgarian voters go to the polls. VMRO is the historical successor of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO) that led the Bulgarian struggle for freedom from the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Bulgarian National Movement characterizes the last two years as the apotheosis of nihilism, irresponsibility, political hatred, and national division, which will ultimately lead to the collapse of statehood. Their declaration calls for an alliance of values, based on shared priorities and solutions for the most important problems facing Bulgaria to stop “the victorious march of the left-liberals, serving foreign ideologies and geopolitical interests."
Krasimir Karakachanov
VMRO says the conservative union will be formed on the basis of common priorities and solutions to the most important problems facing Bulgaria. “Without such unification," the declaration warns, "it is possible that no party that puts the national interest first will find a place in the next parliament." The platform of the new conservative alliance, summarized below, addresses 7 key issues:
1. Bulgaria needs national reconciliation and unity in order to guarantee the development and well-being of its citizens. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen Bulgarian statehood.
2. The attempts to replace national, family, and Christian values upon which Bulgarian society is built by a radical neo-liberal doctrine, whose representatives, with Bolshevik fervor, impose their theses, persecute opponents and dissenters, and question the very meaning of the word “democracy” are a major threat to Bulgaria. Education, culture, and media policy are our priorities in view of the formation of a worldview, faithful to the Bulgarian national tradition, protection of the Bulgarian family, and the mental health of the younger generation.
3. The demographic catastrophe is a problem that VMRO has been trying to draw public attention to for two decades. We Bulgarians continue to be the fastest disappearing nation in the world and quick, complex, and adequate measures are needed. Support for a literate birth rate, active pro-family policies, and programs to encourage the return of our compatriots from abroad are among the urgent measures that must be taken. Our solutions include increasing the amount of tax credits for children, abolishing VAT on the purchase of residential property by young families, promoting agriculture as a family business, etc.
4. The problem of moral and societal decay in the country has also been covered up for a long time by political correctness. The right to vote must be tied to the constitutional obligation for education and proficiency in the Bulgarian language. Persons without primary education should be able to vote only after passing an exam proving proficiency in Bulgarian.
5. Firmness in defending our national interests in foreign relations. There should be no compromise with the historical truth about the Bulgarian origin of the population in Macedonia. Support for EU membership for North Macedonia should only be considered when it renounces the anti-Bulgarian Macedonianism, which today is a state ideology in the country and encouraged through the education system. We also oppose any place for Turkey and radical Islam in the European Union. We strongly oppose the interference of foreign countries in the Bulgarian electoral process. Bulgaria must also actively oppose the gender ideology being implanted by the Brussels bureaucracy.
6. Urgent measures are needed to support businesses and ordinary people in the crisis situation following the Covid epidemic and the war. Promotion of small and medium-sized businesses through a package of measures to overcome both the consequences of the economic crisis and as a comprehensive program to promote investments, innovations, etc. Countering institutional corruption and administrative arbitrariness. Adoption of the Personal Bankruptcy Act, which will guarantee bona fide debtors a second chance at a normal and dignified life.
7. A new Constitution is needed to change the rules because the current government does not produce results. Clear responsibility is required from every holder of power – from the president to the clerk or the judge. The formation of a Presidential Republic, with the direct election of a strong executive, not of deputies and parties. The number of deputies should be reduced according to the population that has decreased since 1990, and a mechanism for recalling them by the citizens should be introduced. We also call for the introduction of regional self-government, expansion of the powers of municipalities, and financial decentralization. These are part of our ideas for a new Constitution, which should clearly declare Bulgaria a national state, without same-sex marriages and free from gender propaganda.
The Organization Council mandated the National Executive Committee of VMRO to hold the requisite talks with other organizations to form an alliance in view of the forthcoming elections. “Aware of its responsibility as the oldest patriotic organization in Bulgaria, which has proven its loyalty to national ideals, traditions, and Christian values, VMRO declares its readiness to start work for the unification of formations from the patriotic and conservative spectrum,” the declaration states. “On the basis of these views, VMRO announces that it is ready for a dialogue with any party or public organization that recognizes them and is ready to support our efforts for constructive change in Bulgaria with the aim of the welfare of the Bulgarian people and the defense of its primitive spiritual foundations.”
