During his appearance on the show "The Day Begins," Venko Sabrutev from the "We Continue the Change" parliamentary group leveled sharp criticisms at his political opponents while outlining his party's future steps regarding the upcoming presidential vote. According to the MP, GERB is a "dead party" that has effectively "reached its end." Sabrutev commented that the lack of a presidential candidate from their side was an expected move, as he believes Boyko Borissov's party is aware that their nominee "could not even place in the top three."

At the center of his criticism was Iliana Iotova's initiative committee, which the MP described as being composed of "State Security agents" and "people who support someone who grants amnesty to a drug dealer." Sabrutev emphasized the need for change, stating: "If we want a prosperous country, they cannot keep us in the past." He questioned the moral validity of this administration, asking: "Would you support a president who pardons a drug dealer?" Sabrutev was referring to the 2022 case in which Iotova pardoned Ognyan Atanasov, whom he called the "Bulgarian Pablo Escobar." The MP highlighted details of the case:

  • Atanasov was caught by Greek authorities for drug trafficking and was returned to Bulgaria to serve a 15-year sentence.
  • Iliana Iotova released him 10 years early, with the official motive being "inhumane treatment" due to health reasons.
  • Only 3 years after the pardon, the individual was caught again with 5 kilograms of cocaine.

In contrast, Sabrutev described the supporters of the presidential candidate pair Andrei Gyurov and Georgi Kandev as people striving for a "European, prosperous, economically and socially developed state." The official decision regarding the party's support for the two candidates is expected on Saturday, when the national council is scheduled to meet. Sabrutev expressed confidence that this decision will receive "100% support from all members of the national council."

The conversation also touched on legislative efforts to ban gambling advertising. Sabrutev recalled that they had submitted the necessary texts a month and a half ago, prompted by the tragedy in Isperih, which he believes proves that "gambling kills" and "ruins human lives." The MP expressed bewilderment as to why those in power do not support these measures, noting that their proposal was rejected by "Progressive Bulgaria," DPS, and GERB. In conclusion, he noted that public expectations of Rumen Radev's MPs have not been met, adding that their actions have led to the "rejection of maternity leave [benefits], the suspension of student scholarships," and the fact that "new retirees are receiving pensions that are 30 euros lower."