No country is immune from dictatorship, Bulgarian premier tells Cichanoŭskaja

March 5, Pozirk. “Belarus is an example of how democratic rules can be violated in a highly developed European country, resulting in the establishment of a dictatorship that does not allow an opposition democratic movement to develop,” Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov told Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja at a meeting today.

“If you have an opinion that differs from that of the government, the choice is between going to jail or leaving the country,” the Bulgarian prime minister said, according to Dariknews.

In his opinion, no country is immune from it, and “the only insurance” is to follow democratic rules and limit the powers of presidents.

“History shows that the temptation to switch to a dictatorial regime is extremely strong,” Denkov stressed.

“We are facing occupation,” Cichanoŭskaja said. “In Ukraine we are fighting against Russian missiles, and in Belarus we are fighting against the hijacking of our institutions.” Russia is “trying to destroy our people,” she said, calling on the Bulgarian government and people to support Belarus “in the fight against Russian ambitions.”

“The Belarusian regime is linked to Putin. As long as the Belarusians support the Ukrainians, we are not alone in our struggle,” the opposition leader said.

The meeting was also attended by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, who “strongly condemned Belarus’ complicity in Russian atrocities.”

“We condemn Minsk’s role as Russia’s accomplice. We must be vigilant about sanctions evasion. We support the European aspirations of the Belarusian people. Bulgaria clearly and consistently supports these efforts,” the foreign minister said.

The Bulgarian portal offnews reported that today Cichanoŭskaja also met with GERB leader Boyko Borisov, Bulgaria’s former prime minister. He said that Sofia strongly supports “all the legitimate aspirations of the Belarusian people to build a democratic state based on the rule of law and fundamental human rights, to choose their representatives through real, democratic and transparent elections.”

Bulgaria, he said, will back all European Union initiatives “aimed at supporting Belarusian civil society.” The EU will permanently support democratic transition, economic stabilization and institutional reforms for Belarus in the interest of its citizens and “a democratic, prosperous and peaceful Europe,” Borisov said.

According to him, the group of Friends of Democratic Belarus will be created in the Bulgarian parliament.

Cichanoŭskaja is visiting Bulgaria on March 4-6. It is her first official visit to the country. She and Denkov had met in August 2023.