The former Mayor of Varna, Ivan Portnih, came out with a sharp position against the MPs from "Continue the Change" (PP) Lena Borislavova and Bogdan Bogdanov, who filed an official signal to the Anti-Corruption Commission (APC). The politician categorically defined their actions as a "legal absurdity" that cannot be seriously accepted.
In his statement, Portnih emphasized that the deputies are actually carrying out another PR action aimed at diverting public attention from the real problems in their own political formation. The signal against him is based on a media interview by Dr. Ruslan Toshev - a former GERB chairman in the "Odesos" district, who shared internal party contradictions.
A key point in Portnih's defense is his claim that preferences during elections are reported by sectional election commissions, which include representatives from all political forces. Therefore, by questioning the results, the PP deputies are practically accusing their own party colleagues of fraud.
In order to demonstrate the absurdity of the accusations, the politician proposed a mirror scenario: "What would happen if someone filed a signal against Lena Borislavova, referring to public statements by the Mayor of 'Lyulin' Georgi Todorov?" Portnih hinted at possible accusations of interference and corrupt practices that could be directed at the PP deputies themselves.
His criticism of the communication strategy of "Continue the Change" was especially sharp. According to him, the party systematically replaces its own scandals by staging new media events, whose sole purpose is to mislead public opinion.
Portnih emphasized that so far there is no evidence for the raised accusations, but the reputational damage to the affected persons is inevitable. He defined what is happening as an attempt at public discreditation, devoid of any legal grounds.
The position of the former Varna mayor clearly demonstrates his readiness to defend his honor and professional integrity against attempts at political manipulation.