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The Left (Bulgaria)
The Left! (Bulgarian: Левицата!, romanized: Levitsata!) was a Bulgarian centre-left to left-wing political coalition established on 12 February 2023.[1][2] The members of the coalition are Alternative for Bulgarian Revival, Movement 21, Agrarian Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski", Bulgarian Progressive Line, Georgi Kadiev's Normal State and BSP splinter faction led by Valeri Zhablyanov.[1][3][4][5] Stand Up.BG, led by Maya Manolova, was part of the coalition until April 2024.[6] IdeologyStand Up.BG leader Maya Manolova believed that the political crisis could be overcome with a united and strong left.[7] According to Manolova, The Left positions itself as an alternative to the right "pole of war" (represented by GERB–SDS and PP–DB) and opposes sending weapons to Ukraine, supporting the views of President Rumen Radev.[8] The new coalition prioritizes incomes, prices, countering monopolies and corruption.[1] The union insists upon an increase in the minimum wage and that there are no Bulgarians below the poverty line.[9][8][10] According to members of the coalition, it was created to consolidate the voices of the left forces, "so that they do not have to vote for other political formations just because, until recently, the ruling party of the left does not correspond to their ideas of how the left should look in Bulgaria."[11] The coalition has criticized the Bulgarian Socialist Party of Korneliya Ninova, saying that the BSP is "not able to raise the flag of the left" and has stopped dealing with important issues, become only concerned with itself, and that the way out of this will be a change in the leadership of the party. One day before coalition formation, 11 February, the BSP congress was held, at which Korneliya Ninova was re-elected and part of her opponents were expelled from the party. According to The Left, Ninova refused to join coalition talks.[12] HistoryOn 12 February 2023, after a four-month dialogue, the creation of the Levitsata! coalition was announced.[3] The coalition has announced that it will take part in the 2023 snap parliamentary election and is now in the process of registering for the election.[12][13][14] On 13 February, the coalition submitted 6,000 signatures to register for the upcoming election.[11] On the 3d of March, the list opened its campaign for the 2023 elections outside the coal power plant "Maritsa Istok 2" located in Stara Zagora oblast, with the list promising to bring up the issues of "ordinary Bulgarian citizens" in the next parliament.[15] After the April 2023 elections, the party remained under the threshold; however, party spokesman Valeri Zheblyanov promised that the coalition would remain active even if in an extra-parliamentary capacity.[16] The coalition has agreed to contest the October local elections, with the coalition leaders authorising alliances with all the "non-governing" parties on the local level (which includes the Bulgarian Socialist Party, There is Such a People, and the far-right Vazrazhdane).[17] The coalition, together with Vazrazhdane, played an active role in the protests surrounding the removal of the "Monument to the Soviet Army" in the center of Sofia, with the alliance's members setting up a tent protest in front of the monument to stop its removal.[18] In April 2024, Manolova's party Stand Up.BG left the coalition.[6] Former BSP Chairman, Mikhail Mikov, endorsed the party before the 2024 Bulgarian parliamentary election and announced his intention to participate in the election with the coalition.[19] The party failed to enter the 50th National Assembly and received 0.69% of the vote. In July, 2024, the coalition announced its intention to participate in future election with BSP.[20] Coalition members2023
2024
Election resultsNational Assembly
European Parliament
References
Information related to The Left (Bulgaria) |
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