Ivan Takov: Our main task is to prevent the “Assembly” from being reproduced in Sofia – 2024-02-16 16:09:28

/ world today news/ The democratic city must be governed by the principles of freedom, justice and solidarity, stated the chairman of the BSP – Sofia in his political report to the delegates of the XIV Conference of the Sofia Organization of Socialists

Our main task in the next two months is to prevent the “Assembly” from being reproduced in Sofia. This was stated by the chairman of BSP – Sofia, Ivan Takov, in his political report to the delegates of the Eighth Session of the XIV Conference of the Sofia City Organization of Socialists. It is currently being held in the “Alexander Lilov” hall at the headquarters of the BSP. Among the tasks of the delegates of the Conference are the approval of the formula for appearing in the local elections, of the candidate for mayor of Sofia and arranging the list of municipal councilors.

“The non-coalition has three candidates – Vasil Terziev, Vili Lilkov, and we are yet to learn who the GERB’s choice is, said Ivan Takov. – We don’t trust them. They are pretending to be opponents at the moment, but we all know very well that this is just theater. Bad theater, which aims to deceive the voters again, so that they will give them their vote on October 29. And then, according to the scenario we already know, they will hug each other and hold the Assembly in Sofia as well. We have already seen this and we know what to come”.

The chairman of BSP – Sofia was adamant that the three right-wing candidates for mayor of the capital represent the status quo, despite their pre-election efforts to deny even themselves in the name of their great goal. “Sofia is extremely important to them, so that they can continue to profit from it. And they will not dedicate themselves ugly to use neither the national shrine “Third March” nor the Monument to the Soviet Army, the guardian of the historical truth about the victory over Hitler-fascism in the Second World War, nor should they even renounce their family and homeland”, he added and continued: “However, Sofia is also extremely important for us. To give perspective and a future to every single person in our city. To show that a democratic city must be governed by the principles of freedom, justice and solidarity. To defend the right of every citizen to be free from humiliating addictions and fear. To prove that this can only be done with more social security. With justice in the distribution of public resources and equal access to public goods for all. With solidarity between the strong and the weak, between the haves and the have-nots, between the center and the neighborhoods. Because for us the city is not a market. And public goods are not a commodity to be profited from elected, close to the city government, businessmen”.

The leader of BSP – Sofia also pointed out all the failures of the previous mayor Yordanka Fandakova and GERB in the capital. “Let’s say it quite clearly and directly – the long-term management of Mayor Fandakova turned the Sofia Municipality into a stall, and public goods into a commodity, said Ivan Takov. – The management of GERB in Sofia will go down in history, marked by a number of spectacular failures. They are currently trying to hide these failures by inciting ideological scandals. However, we know them, and the citizens of Sofia feel them every day.”

Among the biggest failures of the management of GERB in the capital, the chairman of BSP – Sofia pointed out the utilization of public resources and especially the investment program, the system of management of cleanliness and waste activities, of the municipal companies “Toplofikatsia”, “Chistota Iskar “, “Sofecostroy” and CGM, town planning, traffic and parking and the green system.

Ivan Takov urged the Conference delegates to work in the pre-election campaign in such a way as to preserve the image of the socialist party. “However, we set ourselves another, much more important, ideological task in this campaign – to regain from the right the understanding of what democracy is, he declared. – Democracy is the rule of the underprivileged majority. Achieving this goal is extremely important for the future of both the left and the BSP.We need to show that democracy is not just about elections and procedures.Why is this important?

Because in this way we will change the agenda of the right, we will open up an opportunity to talk to more people and progressively increase our support”.

Ivan Takov was categorical that the selection of a suitable candidate for mayor of Sofia and the creation of a broad local left coalition are the ways in which the socialists will try to solve the problems that have accumulated in recent years. “Vanya Grigorova, in her capacity as a prominent trade union activist, can open a solid periphery for us and an opportunity to reach different social groups. Her presence in the general list for municipal councilors would bring votes that we otherwise cannot get at the moment, said he added. “The broad coalition will allow us to unite the left vote in Sofia and make us stronger. There is also something else, very important. Some kind of unification on the left will happen anyway. And the BSP should not miss the initiative in this process”.

Ivan Takov began his political report with a bow to the Socialist Party Strategist and Ideologist Alexander Lilov, whose 90th birthday was on August 31.