Tsveta Galunova: Revival succeeded me with the idea of a strong Bulgaria – Elections 2 in 1
- The state must increase funding for the birth and upbringing of children, otherwise we disappear
- I lost my chess club because of something big – politics
- If we lose Bulgaria, all our parties and people will disappear
- I sell fruits and vegetables to survive the Kovid crisis
The international master for women Tsveta Galunova is a psychologist by education, master of public relations and professional chess coach since 2013. In her competitive career she is a champion of Bulgaria in all age groups and for many years is among the best chess players on the world stage. in girls in their age group. Today Tsveta Galunova is embarking on politics. She is a candidate for MP of the Vazrazhdane party from Veliko Tarnovo.
- My personal cause is to revive the Bulgarian village and livelihood, says Tsveta Galunova in a special interview for STANDART newspaper
– Ms. Galunova, why does a chess champion and educational psychologist like you decide to get involved in politics?
– For years I have been building my life, deliberately trying to stay out of politics so as not to shift the focus from the causes I fought for. Although I have been involved in what is happening in Bulgaria, I am always trying to achieve my goals in a non-political way. In the past year and a half, however, politics has begun to deal with all of us. Thousands of people lost their jobs, and the mental trauma of the mass panic and psychosis we are currently experiencing is stronger than ever. I also need to drastically change my lifestyle and livelihood. The restrictive measures closed my chess school, in which I had invested all my energy for the last 8 years. The situation was difficult, but I desperately wanted to prove to myself and give an example to others that instead of despairing, complaining and betraying, we must demand a fresh start. I spent a hard and interesting winter selling fruits and vegetables in the central market level in Veliko Tarnovo. I plunged into a completely different world, in which, in order to survive, I had to go far beyond my comfort zone. I learned valuable lessons and realized how hard many people live in Bulgaria. My world shook, but it motivated me to look for new solutions. Seeing the need for Bulgaria, you felt that he was doing something bigger. That’s how I got to politics. Because in my professional career as a chess player I am used to fighting decent and honest battles in intellectual sports. I entered another battle of my life. This time I will not fight behind the black and white board, but will face the greatest experience in my life – the cause of the salvation of Bulgaria!
– How and why did you choose the Revival party?
– In the Renaissance I recognized a value system that resonates with mine. The ideal for a strong, independent, united and prosperous Bulgaria is quickly my heart. As an educator, a psychologist, a teacher and a good person who is constantly growing up, I see the need to set an example. Children are our hope for the future, and for the Revival their proper upbringing and education is a top priority that I stand for. I believe that the choices we all make today will build the world in which you will live tomorrow. In the ranks of the Revival I see people like me: with morality, cause and frantic desire to fight for the good of our country. The question is that it is high time that decisions in Bulgaria start to be made by Bulgarians and not by foreign embassies. I want young people to stop queuing at the borders in search of better prospects, and to talk about Bulgaria with respect and dignity. Vazrazhdane unites all of us – the modern Revivalists, with its policies and causes and I believe that Vazrazhdane is the tool that will not help us fight for the dreamed and prosperous Bulgaria.
– Revival has a special policy to overcome the demographic crisis. What are the first measures that the state must take?
– Overcoming this crisis requires the most time. It’s as if our page is most permanently stuck here. We are disappearing as a population. Official statistics estimate it. They will soon have the results of the census, which will give an even clearer picture. The measures for the demographic crisis, of course, must be economic, but not only that. Undoubtedly, the state must increase funding for the birth and upbringing of children and increase the large Bulgarian families with financial and other funds. I can’t do without it. To give more guarantees for keeping the jobs during the first 2-3 years of the period. However, the demographic crisis is being overcome with the return of some of the good traditions in Bulgarian families. The idea that everyone should leave a trail behind, to look after a dignified, educated, patriotic generation, must be propagated. Apart from that, we must pay attention to the huge number of Bulgarians who, for one reason or another, have remained outside the borders of our homeland. Bulgaria must have appropriate conditions to return millions of Bulgarian emigrants. Vazrazhdane also wants to make it easier for our compatriots from Bulgarian communities abroad to obtain Bulgarian citizenship.
– Expect an extremely difficult winter for us economically. What measures to help young families Revival?
– This issue is closely related to the previous one. The state, before helping, may not have to hinder young people. What do I mean? Young people are enterprising people. They participate in cultural, sports, social events. Some of them want to develop their business as well. This is the place of the state and local authorities to facilitate and not create obstacles to their initiative. On the other hand, the elderly, after decades of work for the good of our country, and I think they should not be left of the arbitrariness of fate. In the difficult conditions of the coming winter, the state must enter into its role and receive assistance not only from young families, but from all socially disadvantaged members of society.
– What are your personal causes with which you are going to the 47th Parliament?
– I have already mentioned that I am connected with chess, which is an interesting symbiosis between sport, science, art and culture. I want to help improve the legal framework in these areas, to introduce good practices for sports and cultural activities. Sports and the cultural and spiritual sphere will make us better. We often talk about economic crises, catastrophes, abandonment, and we forget that we can live more frugally, but be more spiritually rich. I have a special cause – the revival of Bulgarian villages. Because the situation there is more than tragic. With the exception of settlements that are suitable for resort activities and those that are close to major urban centers, the rest is post-war devastation. I often travel around the region of Veliko Tarnovo, I travel to other parts of our country and I am shocked by the views of the abandoned community centers and schools – these former pillars of the Bulgarian language. In the semi-neighborhood next to them there are often destroyed outbuildings, houses that have forgotten the long steps. I often look at them with tears in my eyes. Why is there no life in dead houses? Urbanization has killed the spirit and life of small villages. Only the shadows of the past walk here and reproachfully asks us how superfluous these settlements are? There were projects, programs, and almost nothing happened to revive them. It was as if these funds had sunk. The destroyed infrastructure will not be rebuilt for decades, but it must start somewhere. I believe that returning the livelihood of the people to the small settlements will help their revival. More and more young people are showing interest in rural life. Revival will work to create incentives to make a living and stay there permanently. I also think that people who live in the countryside, although especially aging, need a cultural life that sustains and enriches them spiritually.
– Veliko Tarnovo has a huge cultural and historical heritage and yet the cultural and historical tourism in the city can not go beyond the national sites Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, Samovodska Bazaar. What needs to be done to include Tarnovo in the world destination for cultural and historical tourism?
– My question is a great pain. Traveling abroad, I find that little is known about our country, and even less about the region and my hometown of Veliko Tarnovo. Roads need to be found to build on what has been achieved so far. We need more effective advertising of everything that history has given us and left for generations. There are big reserves here. There will certainly be people who say that a lot has been done. Maybe, but not enough has been done. Veliko Tarnovo through its most active representatives of culture, sports, science and business can do much more to develop advertising potential in the region. A transport and communication system is also important to facilitate access. Completion of the highway, highways, air transport. Without transport communications, tourism will remain at its current level, regardless of whether it is cultural-historical, sports, congress, etc. The Veliko Tarnovo region outside the regional center provides great opportunities for the development of many types of tourism: rural, wine, cultural, even spa tourism. These are all opportunities that are not actively developed at the moment.
– You are applying from Veliko Tarnovo. What urgent problems of the old capital city will you solve?
“I’ve already mentioned some.” However, Veliko Tarnovo has pressing problems: the lack of the center and the redevelopment. The city is literally congested due to lack of parking spaces and not enough greenery. This also hinders tourism, prevents citizens from breathing calmly when walking somewhere in the so-called central area. There is a lot of work here.
– As a chess player, how would you describe the political chessboard at the moment and what is the winning move of the Revival?
– More than half a year of the state has been added to the political tsug-zwang, which in chess language means a lack of useful move. Now, together with the citizens, we will look for this rescue move to revive Bulgaria. A working cabinet must be set up under the strict control of parliament. The parties must be able to combine their party activities with the components of a reasonable compromise in the name of statehood. Politicians must ignore personal selfishness and understand that there is something much bigger and more important behind them, namely Bulgaria. Because, as in chess, when the king is matted, all the pieces go in the box with him. So, if we lose Bulgaria, all parties, as well as all of us as a nation, will go into oblivion with it.