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Revival (Bulgarian political party)

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For other uses, see Vazrazhdane (disambiguation).

Revival
Възраждане
LeaderKostadin Kostadinov
Founded2 August 2014 (2014-08-02)
Split fromVMRO
HeadquartersHristo Botev blvd. 111, Sofia
Ideology
Political positionFar-right[5][6]
European affiliationIdentity and Democracy Party (2024)
Europe of Sovereign Nations Party (since 2024)
European Parliament groupEurope of Sovereign Nations
Colors  Black
  Gold
SloganВъзраждаме България!
('We revive Bulgaria!')
National Assembly
35 / 240
European Parliament
3 / 17
Municipalities
1 / 265
Sofia City Council
3 / 61
Website
www.vazrazhdane.bg

Revival (Bulgarian: Възраждане, romanized: Vazrazhdane) is a far-right and ultranationalist political party in Bulgaria, founded in August 2014. Its chairman is Kostadin Kostadinov. The party is characterised by various analysts and media as pro-Russian,[4][7] anti-EU,[8] anti-NATO,[9] anti-American, being opposed to COVID-19 vaccinations and spreading anti-vaccine[10][11] and anti-LGBT[12][13] rhetoric.

History

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In June 2014, Kostadin Kostadinov told media that there would be a Constituent Assembly on 2 August of the same year in the city of Pliska to create the party "Revival". The founders choose the day that is the celebrated anniversary of the Ilinden Uprising.[14][15] Kostadinov founded the party after he became unhappy following Krasimir Karakachanov's reelection as leader of IMRO-BNM in 2012.

Entrance into parliament

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Main article: 2021–present Bulgarian political crisis

The party has grown rapidly due to the 2021–present Bulgarian political crisis. They first entered the Bulgarian National Assembly after the 2021 general election, gaining 13 seats. A member of Revival's parliamentary group left them in June 2022.[16] The party would more than double its presence in the assembly, gaining 14 more seats in the 2022 general election and gained another 10 seats in the 2023 general election bringing their total seats to 37.[17][18] This comes as the country draws closer to its adoption of the Euro while the government is financially backing Ukraine in their defense against Russia. Only 30% of Bulgarians view Russia as a threat, and far more are worried about rising inflation and possible economic concerns with the adoption of the Euro. Despite the party's pro-Russian rhetoric, observer Vesela Tcherneva, from the European Council on Foreign Relations, says that "Putin has lost some popularity so the campaign is not pro-Russia but anti-West, but it's the other side of the same coin".[19] Additionally, the party has called for a public referendum on withdrawal from NATO and "normalization" of relations with Russia. The party has also supported the expansion of the Russia gas company Lukoil's presence in the country and to "renegotiate the conditions with the EU" either for a special status, or possible withdrawal.[20]

Additionally, the party launched a petition that proposes postponing the adoption of the Euro until further notice. The petition collected over 604,000 signatures, significantly more than the 200,000 necessary to suggest a future referendum on the matter.[21]

On 22 May 2023, Revival protesters stormed the EU offices in Sofia, dousing the interior with red paint while waving the Russian flag. President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola called the protestors "vandals unhappy with our stance in support of Ukraine." while the Bulgarian government announced the attacks only strengthen their resolve to support Ukraine.[22] On 16 June 2023, a microbrewery in Sofia was vandalized after standoffs with Revival with an antisemitic message scrawled on their window with a Star of David after the brewery posted a sign saying they don't serve members of Revival. The owners of the brewery, who are Jewish, filed an investigation with the Ministry of Interior for the attack to be prosecuted as an antisemitic hate-crime.[23][24]

Opposition to Denkov-Gabriel Government (2023–2024)

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Protest Activity

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In mid-July 2023, members of We Continue the Change launched an official investigation into Revival for promoting violence, homophobia and "misanthropic propaganda." Namely, the prosecution cited a post on Revival's official telegram that consisted of the face of Solomon Passy, a former MP and founder of the Atlantic Club, as a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp being taken away by the Schutzstaffel to be gassed with the caption "If you don't want gas from Russia, come to us and we'll let you breathe some gas."[25] In September 2023 Revival staged nationwide protests for the removal of all NATO bases in Bulgaria, waving Bulgarian and Russian national flags, blowing whistles and demanding an early election. The protests came shortly after the Bulgarian government ended an embargo on Ukrainian grain. During the protests Revival supporters rallied around a monument to the Red Army which the government decided to remove. Additionally, the government deported one Russian and two Belarusian nationals connected to Revival on a recommendation by the State Agency for National Security.[26]

Sofia City Councillors split

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Upon the entrance of Revival MPs into the Sofia City Council, the party did not participate in negotiations to end the deadlock and elect a chairman of the city council and refused to support other nominees.[27]

On 8 February, after three months of deadlock, 4 of the 7 Sofia city councillors from Revival voted in favour of Tsvetomir Petrov (PP-DB), who was selected as the compromise nominee after three-month long talks, subsequently being expelled both from the party and the councillors' group.[28] The head of the Revival's group in the city council, Deyan Nikolov, accused the 4 city councillors of being "traitors" and alleged that they had been potentially bribed.[29] The expelled city councillors defended their actions by claiming they had voted in favour of Petrov in order to end the deadlock.[30] The split within the Revival group led to the de-listing of Revival as a group within the city council, due to it no longer being above the 5-member threshold.

The aftermath of the events in the city council ended up impacting the parliamentary group of Revival in the National Assembly, wherein Kostadinov demanded the resignation of three Revival MPs who had "vouched" for the inclusion of the expelled city councillors during the local elections.[31] After their refusal, the three were expelled from the parliamentary groups and served out their term as Independent MPs.[32] Expelled MP and former PG secretary, Nikolay Drenchev, later alleged that despite claims by Kostadinov that the party was now calm, the situation in the party remained tense and even claimed the party was attending sessions with a licensed psychiatrist.[33]

Visit to Moscow

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On 19 February, three Revival MPs visited Moscow at the invitation of the ruling party, United Russia, meeting with members of the State Duma and representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[34]

The visit led the PP-DB parliamentary group to request that the MPs who participated in the visit be excluded from committees with significance for "national security".[35] Additionally, the PP-DB MP Yavor Bozhankov sent a signal to the Prosecutors Office and DANS about potential illegal activity on the part of the three MPs.[36] In response, Revival leader Kostadinov claimed the procedure for the expulsion of MPs from a committee did not exist within the rulebook and insisted that the MPs will continue to attend the committee meetings.[37]

On 28 February, the point about the exclusion of two Revival MPs from the Foreign Affairs and Defense parliamentary committees was presented before the parliament by PP-DB, however, the measure was not supported due to the opposition of the other parliamentary parties.[38]

International relations

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Revival was a member of the Identity and Democracy Party since 31 January 2024.[39] It has since been removed from the Identity and Democracy Party Web Portal - it can be seen present as of February 27th [40] but is no longer present in the list of parties. The portal's news announcement of Revival joining has also been removed.[41]

The party has developed a close relationship with the party Alternative for Germany, with Revival's chairman, Kostadin Kostadinov, attending the party's congress in July 2023.[42] Revival additionally invited representatives from AfD, as well as the Moldovan party Revival to the annual commemoration of Liberation Day in 2024.[43]

Revival also signed an official memorandum for cooperation "against the destruction of European civilisation" on the 23 August, which was also signed by representatives from the following parties: the Hungarian Our Homeland Movement, the Dutch Forum for Democracy (FvD), the Czech Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), Alternative for Sweden (AfS) and the Swiss Mass Voll.[44]

In December 2023, Revival participated in a conference in Belgrade hosted by the Serbian Party Oathkeepers and Dveri, alongside the AfD and the Our Homeland Movement.[45]

Revival has maintained cooperation with the Russian ruling party, United Russia, participating in the Forum "Freedom of Nations" hosted by UR.[46] Kostadinov, the party's Chairman, has also claimed that Revival have "begun friendly relations" with the African National Congress.[47]

On 12 April 2024, Revival organized the 'Sofia Declaration' with the Slovak Republic, FvD, the Swiss Mass Voll, the Serbian Party Oathkeepers, Our Homeland Movement, AfS, the Moldovan Revival party and the Agricultural Livestock Party of Greece.[48]

The party has maintained relations with the Republicans for National Renewal, a donor organisation linked with the United States Republican Party, including a meeting between the head of the organisation, Mark Ivanyo, and Kostadin Kostadinov in November 2023.[49] In 2024, the party also had meetings with Republican Congressman Paul Gosar and officials from the 2024 Donald Trump presidential campaign.[50] The party expressed "full support" for Trump following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.[51]

The party has relations with the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), attending AUR conferences and campaigning jointly against restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.[52] The party has also established cooperation with Debout la France and its leader, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan.[53]

The party considers North Macedonia as the second Bulgarian state in the Balkans and claims to be working towards the country's unification with Bulgaria. It regards the "complete unification with Macedonia and the revival and strengthening of the full state independence of a united Bulgaria" as the ultimate goal of its foreign policy.[54]

As of 10 July 2024, Revival is a member of Europe of Sovereign Nations in the European Parliament, alongside the AfD, SPD, Our Homeland Movement, Republic, Lithuanian People and Justice Union, French Reconquête and Polish New Hope.[55]

Leadership

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Election results

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National Assembly

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Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Status
2017 Kostadin Kostadinov 37,896 1.11 (#11)
0 / 240
 New Extra-parliamentary
Apr 2021 78,395 2.41 (#9)
0 / 240
 Steady 0 Extra-parliamentary
Jul 2021 82,147 3.01 (#8)
0 / 240
 Steady 0 Extra-parliamentary
Nov 2021 127,568 4.86 (#7)
13 / 240
 Increase 13 Opposition
2022 254,952 10.18 (#4)
27 / 240
 Increase 14 Snap election
2023 358,174 14.16 (#3)
37 / 240
 Increase 10 Opposition
Jun 2024 295,915 13.78 (#4)
38 / 240
 Increase 1 Snap election
Oct 2024 325,466 13.38 (#3)
35 / 240
 Decrease 3 TBA

European Parliament

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Election List leader Votes % Seats +/– EP Group
2019 Tsoncho Ganev 20,319 1.04 (#13)
0 / 17
 New –
2024 Stanislav Stoyanov 281,439 13.98 (#4)
3 / 17
 Increase 3 ESN

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bulgarian Ultranationalists Protest Government's Coronavirus Measures". Radio Free Europe. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Ultra-nationalist party stages anti-government protest in Sofia". Reuters. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Kolchev, Vasil (18 November 2021). "Bulgaria's general election outcome boosts chances to break political stalemate - Moody's". SeeNews.
  4. ^ a b Dzhambazova, Boryana (20 June 2022). "Bulgaria's government faces collapse this week". Politico. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. ^ Todorov, Svetoslav (26 January 2022). "Risks of Revival: The Bulgarian Far-Right's Latest Incarnation". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  6. ^ Petrova, Valentina; McGrath, Stephen (22 June 2022). "Bulgaria's no-confidence vote could hamper EU expansion". Associated Press. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Bulgaria government collapses after no-confidence vote". Deutsche Welle. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. ^ Paunova, Polina (22 November 2021). "It Denies COVID And Wants Out Of NATO And The EU. Now Bulgaria's Pro-Kremlin, Far-Right Revival Party Is In Parliament". Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  9. ^ "'Revival' Party Proposes Bulgaria's Withdrawal from NATO". novinite.com. 21 March 2024.
  10. ^ Simeonova, Elitsa; Wesolowsky, Tony (October 2022). "Revival on the Rise: Ahead of Elections, Far-Right Party is Tapping into Bulgarian Public Anger". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  11. ^ "Bulgaria's Troubled Coalition Faces No-confidence Vote". 15 June 2022.
  12. ^ Kostadinov, Kostadin (7 January 2019). "Нетолерантността на толерантните, или как Фейсбук неусетно се превърна в Гейбук [The intolerance of the tolerant, or how Facebook imperceptibly turned into Gaybook]". kostadin.eu. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  13. ^ ""Възраждане" се закани да забрани всяка пропаганда на хомосексуализъм сред деца и възрастни [Revival threatened to ban all propaganda of homosexuality among children and adults]". Trud. 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  14. ^ ""Нова националистическа партия учредяват в Плиска"" (in Bulgarian). cross.bg. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  15. ^ ""Костадин Костадинов слага началото на нова партия"" (in Bulgarian). utre.bg. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  16. ^ "Елена Гунчева напуска Народното събрание и "Възраждане"". BNT. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Bulgaria gears for its fifth election in two years on April 2". Reuters. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Former Bulgarian premier faces struggle to build coalition". Financial Times. 3 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  19. ^ Dunai, Marton (2 April 2023). "Pro-Russia party shakes up Bulgarian politics". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  20. ^ Simeonova, Elitsa; Wesolowsky, Tony (October 2022). "Revival On The Rise: Ahead Of Elections, Far-Right Party Is Tapping Into Bulgarian Public Anger". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Костадин Костадинов внесе 590 хил. подписа за референдум срещу еврото". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Pro-Russian protesters vandalize EU offices in Bulgaria". Politico. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  23. ^ "МВР проверява привърженици на "Възраждане", които саботираха филм и нахлуха в бар в София". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  24. ^ Angelov, Georgi A. (16 June 2023). "Bulgarian Beer Shop Targeted By Far-Right Parliamentary Party For Displaying International Flags". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  25. ^ Todorov, Svetoslav (17 July 2023). "Bulgaria's Pro-Russia Revival Party Investigated Over Anti-Semitic Image". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  26. ^ Nenov, Stoyan. "Bulgarian nationalists protest against NATO bases, want government out". Reuters. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Неуспешен опит за консенсус в СОС, "Възраждане" и БСП не отидоха на срещата". Vesti. 28 December 2023.
  28. ^ "Обрат! Групата на "Възраждане" в СОС се разпадна". Standart. 8 February 2024.
  29. ^ ""Възраждане" в София се разцепи на "автентични" и "предатели"". Mediapool. 8 February 2024.
  30. ^ "Oтцепниците от "Възраждане" в СОС стават независими до сформирането на нова група". Mediapool. 9 February 2024.
  31. ^ ""Възраждане" изгони трима депутати заради скандала в СОС". 24chasa. 9 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Партия "Възраждане" изгони трима депутати". BNR. 9 February 2024.
  33. ^ "Отлъченият Николай Дренчев: Групата на "Възраждане" е обследвана от психиатър". Tribune. 1 March 2024.
  34. ^ "Депутати от "Възраждане" са гостували в Москва по покана на "Единна Русия"". BTV. 19 February 2024.
  35. ^ "ПП-ДБ иска изключване на депутати от "Възраждане" заради визита в руския център за вербовка". Mediapool. 21 February 2024.
  36. ^ "Божанков сезира прокуратурата и ДАНС заради визитата на Възраждане в Москва". OFFnews. 20 February 2024.
  37. ^ ""Възраждане": Не могат да спрат депутатите ни да ходят в комисии". 24chasa. 21 February 2024.
  38. ^ "НС отложи решението за изключване от комисии на двама депутати от "Възраждане"". BNR. 21 February 2024.
  39. ^ "New member parties : Slovenská národná strana and Vazrazhdane". 31 January 2024.
  40. ^ "Web Archive Party Members of ID". Archived from the original on 27 February 2024.
  41. ^ "New member parties : Slovenská národná strana and Vazrazhdane". Archived from the original on 27 February 2024.
  42. ^ "Костадинов на конгреса на "Алтернатива за Германия": Общата ни цел е да запазим нашата цивилизация, нашите традиции, култури и езици, християнската религия". 29 July 2023.
  43. ^ ""Възраждане" води депутати от "Алтернатива за Германия" на Шипка". 3 March 2024.
  44. ^ "Костадинов и партии от 6 държави с общ документ за Европа". 23 August 2023.
  45. ^ "Nacionalno okupljanje i evropske suvernističke stranke za formiranje saveza zbog migrantske krize" [National Gathering and European sovereignist parties to form an alliance due to the migrant crisis]. Novinska agencija Beta (in Serbian). 9 December 2023. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  46. ^ "Костадинов за визитата на "Възраждане" в Москва: Изграждаме отново приятелските отношения с Русия..." 19 February 2024.
  47. ^ "Посещението ни в Москва беше много добре оценено, а приемът - ласкав, обяви Костадинов". 23 February 2024.
  48. ^ "Parties from Nine Countries Sign Joint Declaration at Vazrazhdane-Organized Conference". BTA. 12 April 2024.
  49. ^ "Републиканец от САЩ на крака при Възраждане. Пишат документ за общи консервативни ценности". Kritichno. 11 November 2023.
  50. ^ "Рада Лайкова от "Възраждане" се срещна с хора от екипа на Тръмп в САЩ". Mediapool.bg. 22 April 2024.
  51. ^ "Kostadin Kostadinov: "Revival" Fully Supports Donald Trump". Epicenter. 14 July 2024.
  52. ^ < ""Възраждане" и "Алианс за единство на румънците" обмислят балкански "конвой на свободата"". BTA. 21 February 2022.
  53. ^ "Костадинов и Стоянов от "Възраждане" се срещнаха с Никола Дюпон-Енян". Vazrazhdane. 11 April 2024.
  54. ^ Ulf Brunnbauer (2022). "Side Effects of "Phantom Pains": How Bulgarian Historical Mythology Derails North Macedonia's EU Accession". Comparative Southeast European Studies. 70 (4): 723. doi:10.1515/soeu-2022-0064.
  55. ^ Jorge Liboreiro; Vincenzo Genovese (10 July 2024). "AfD and allies form new far-right group in Brussels called Europe of Sovereign Nations". Euronews. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
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