Six deputies and the resigned Minister of Sports Radostin Vassilev lost their trust in Slavi Trifonov and left the parliamentary group of “There Is Such a People.”.
“The Mafia broke through ‘There Is Such a People”’. This was stated by the resigned Minister of Youth and Sports Radostin Vassilev. He, together with a group of MPs from TISP gave a press conference, which was held in the “Rodina” hall of the National Stadium “Vasil Levski”.
Vassilev said he was losing his political trust in Slavi Trifonov. “I did not believe that I would say these words, but the moment has come when Bulgaria is more important to me than a group of people who most likely rule our leader,” Vassilev said.
“Obviously, the understandings of me and Trifonov are different, because while I was building the structures and going around alone to say that this is a cause, my morals do not allow me to look at these people from this party. While our 2021 withdrawal was justified, I witnessed the unprecedented sabotage in July. I stood with my face in an attempt at corruption against me with the clear awareness that I am facing the mafia,” he said.
He added: “I deceived a lot of people, hired people to help me, left companies in the West to help, I almost destroyed my law practice. I’m really disappointed with everything that’s happening.”
“The principles of ‘There Is Such a People’ cannot be violated even by Slavi Trifonov”, Radostin Vassilev was categorical.
“Slavi Trifonov has never been interested in the opinion of the voters, of his deputies – he does not know them. He did not come for 2 years to the office in Pleven, his hometown. I justified all this with his difficult health condition and his special character. In all our meetings with him, the feeling that this is not parliamentary but a business project deepened in me. This has been set from the very beginning,” he said.
According to him, the topic of North Macedonia is “an absolutely imaginary reason used for an occasion“. “The reason is different. The reason is that some financial projects cannot be implemented somewhere. Petkov started talking in such a way that RNM is really not a problem,” Vassilev said.
“I am sure that Trifonov is not thirsty for power – he is a businessman,” said the resigned Minister of Youth and Sports.
He said he had not been wanted by anyone and had not been pressured by TISP in recent months. “Because they know that I am absolutely crazy,” added Radostin Vassilev.
“I can’t be more in this structure for nothing because of the behavior of the leader and a close circle of people. We have very good relations with the deputies from TISP. With very few exceptions, they are decent people. They know I’m telling the truth. I continue to be myself, I have not promised support, I have not been bought by anyone,” he said.
“Trifonov has been friends with Orlin Alexiev for 20 years and does not know about his interests in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works?” The resigned Minister of Youth and Sports asked rhetorically.
“I did not take BGN 1 from this party, I did not want anything from it,” said Georgi Georgiev.
“Today is one of the hardest days for me because I am not a politician. I have never been a member of any party. I believed in the cause of the TISP party. For me, this was the cause of TISP’s ideas. What brought us all together even before the constituent assembly, when we were preparing the documents, was the change of the vicious model of GERB”, said the secretary of the Parliamentary Group of “There Is Such a People” Ivo Atanasov.
“I said that there are moments in life when you have to make a decision. Things were horrible and they still are. There is a time when you have to say – I have to try to change this system,” he said.
According to him, the party functioned “extremely difficult”. “This is not only my opinion but of the regional and municipal coordinators, the members of this party, who supported us in the elections. It is a leading party, that is for sure, but we have adopted a statute at the time of its establishment, which was trampled upon by the party leadership. I am trusting and I know that when you go to battle to change a vicious model, you have to know who you are going with, the road is long and you have to have comrades by your side. Without any doubt, I trusted Slavi Trifonov and the entire management. I haven’t seen him for 1 year “, added Atanasov.
He was adamant that for him leaving the party was not the result of any emotion. “I had decided this on New Year’s Eve. But I decided to stay to fight for what we promised. Otherwise, it turns out to be an escape from responsibility,” Ivo Atanasov commented.