Ако харесвате нашата 
Irrespective of the existing political pluralism and the separation of powers, actual political practices in this country are a far cry from the advanced democratic models.
The Bulgarian government institutions today are not in a position to ensure the effective political functioning of the bodies of state power an all three levels: local, central, and European.
Evidence of this can be found in the crisis of representation; the often inapplicable or faulty legislation; the crisis in the judicial system; the poor interaction among institutions; the huge administrative deficiency and the weaknesses of local government.
The weakest links in today’s political system of Bulgaria are in the administration of justice and law enforcement. What Bulgaria needs is a really independent judicial system that commands sufficient authority, as a precondition for economic advancement and giving scope to civil initiative.
The institutions
The parliamentary system is the foundation of state power in Bulgaria. A genuine representation of the Bulgarian citizens in the bodies of power can be achieved through a strong, statutory link between the work of members of Parliament and the interests of their constituents, for the entire duration of their term in office.
We declare ourselves in favour of the adoption of constitutional and legislative provisions enabling the recall of members of Parliament while in office, on demand by their constituents. A free mandate, as the scope within which each elected representative may adopt and express his or her political positions, cannot be restricted, yet can, and must, be subject to voter control.
Parliament should set an example of public openness and democratic control of the institutions. The executive branch of government in Bulgaria derives its power from Parliament and must be subjected to the strictest control as to compliance with the laws. Otherwise, the executive threatens to turn Parliament into a mere rubberstamp appendage to its machinery, thereby severing all links between political power and its civil roots during the period between elections.
The legislature must restructure its mode of operation, by reorienting the law-making process above all to the needs and interests of the active part of the Bulgarian citizenry, and towards improving the judicial system.
Bulgaria needs a system of monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of legislation.
The further development of representative power should be complemented by the practices of direct democracy. Civil society should be involved in politics through referendums and referrals.
The LEADER Party will vigorously oppose any attempts to abuse elected or appointed office in the bodies and institutions of central or local power, for personal gain.
The Bulgarian institutional system suffers from intolerably high levels of corruption. We realize that the success of any institution of state power hinges on its zero tolerance of corruption and on its determined fight against corruption.
Abuse of office for personal gain is today the biggest single canker of Bulgaria’s political life.
The LEADER Party will strictly abide by the principles of separation of state power and democratic control of the institutions. To us, the modern performance benchmark of the institutions is their ability to serve the interest of the State and the citizens. We will work for translating this principle into a daily practice.
Local authorities and self-government
Local government has an ever increasing significance for achieving high quality of life. Promoting democratic local government ensures in practice an active political position of the population.
Municipalities have at their disposal more and more tools of independently accumulating funds, of participating in, and proposing, projects and programmes.
Of particular importance, therefore, is that the bodies of local government are formed on the principle of civil involvement, rather than on the basis of business interest. The business principle keeps the citizens isolated from the exercise of power, turning them into hostages to external interests and corrupt practices.
Bulgaria needs a new model of cooperation between central and local government. An end must be put to the blackmail of municipalities by the State, of the constant jockeying for budgetary allocations and the trade in recriminations that stand in the way of addressing the problems of citizens.
Municipalities should treat their own tasks with greater responsibility and should not try to lay the blame for their own failures to other institutions; they should offer solutions rather than justifications.
Municipalities should gain the kind of independence that would guarantee their ability to deal with local problems without jeopardizing the unitary nature of the State. The role of the State should be to assist municipalities in underdeveloped or depopulating regions, with a poor local economy or inadequate infrastructure.
The means to achieve genuine decentralization of local government include:
• Utilization of EU funds for achieving sustainable and balanced development of the regions in Bulgaria;
• Changing the status and operation of the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria towards vesting it with more powers to represent the interests of local authorities in dialogue with central government;
• Building public-private partnerships and maintaining an active link between local government and the business sector;
• Enhancing the role of local referendums. Our priorities for regional development are as follows:
- balanced and sustainable development of the regions;
- development and modernization of the regional infrastructure;
- overcoming excessive concentration and urbanization;
- accelerated development of underdeveloped areas;
- Restructuring of the economy in backward areas.
Civil society
The current state and activity of civil society are important indicators of the quality of the democratic system. Democratic governance is impossible without the involvement of citizens through the structures of civil society.
The LEADER Party aspires to:
• establishing closest links with civil society ;
• supporting the initiatives of citizens’ associations;
• upgrading political culture through the structures of civil society;
• promoting and publicizing public opinion, as a political factor, through the State-run, public and private media.
The non-governmental sector is of crucial importance for the normal functioning of democracy, for promoting civil activism and broader representation of the citizenry in the institutions of state power. However, civil associations are simply missing from our national political tradition.
They may appear here and there, more as good practices transplanted from abroad, rather than as exponents of civil society in Bulgaria.
Civil associations should propose effective solutions to social problems, and should constitute the foundation of direct democracy.
They should occupy a prominent place in the structure of political life. To this end, they should bring themselves closer to the real needs of people, and to the current agenda of society.
National security and home affairs
Bulgaria is part of the all-European security system.
Bulgaria is a NATO member. It is part of the Euro-Atlantic security zone and fulfils its allied obligations.
The Bulgarian Armed Forces should live up to the present-day challenges. The armed forces develop within the framework of the allied strategies and commitments. The Armed Forces are turning professional and is being equipped with the most up-to-date materiel as the crucial element of its combat readiness.
The country’s national security is also guaranteed by the latest anti-terrorism technologies. The country needs a national anti-terrorism strategy across the spectrum, from citizen training to the system of responsibilities of the institutions.
The fight against organized crime in the territory of Bulgaria is part of the country’s national security. This requires the allocation of adequate resources, as well as close cooperation with European and international organizations.
Another part of national security is the protection of the population against natural disasters and man-made accidents. In this sector, what Bulgaria needs is a rigorous definition of the obligations and commitments of the State, the local authorities and the civil society organizations, interconnectivity and interaction of the institutions for the sake of security for all citizens.
At the beginning of the 21st century, the law enforcement establishment is of particular importance for society and the State. The Bulgarian police must serve as an example of moral integrity and professionalism, whereas any unregulated contacts and links with the criminal underworld should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Bulgaria’s foreign policy
At the beginning of the 21st century, the foreign policy of Bulgaria is part of the system of international relations in the global world.
In defining its foreign-policy vision, the LEADER Party proceeds from the understanding that States are the basic building blocks of international relations in a globalized world. States join supranational structures, which then develop and establish themselves as a condition for security and prosperity. In a global world, domestic and foreign policy constitute a single playing field, where politics, economics and cultures of human communities interact.
absence of military action in whatever form. Peace implies the non-use and the destruction of nuclear weapons, as well as the non-admission of the use of new technologies of whatever kind against human beings anywhere on the planet. The formation and implementation of a new common policy of mankind for the protection of the human race, against biological and chemical interference in the freedom of the individual, against any tampering with nature, is increasingly becoming an imperative necessity.
Today’s environmental and demographic problems of mankind are our problems as well, refracted through the geographical and geopolitical realities in Europe and in the Balkans. Bulgaria is not, and cannot be, isolated from the world trends.
The close interdependence of politics and economics today is a dominant political fact that should be understood in its dynamics, enabling people to integrate into the world labour market at a decent price.
Today it is especially important for us to realize the new economic and political challenges from the position of a developed nation, and not from the position of the provincial limitations of a nation struggling to catch up with the rest of the world.
Isolation and inability to participate in the strategies and plans for future development is today the worst scourge for a huge part of mankind. We will aspire to secure our participation, through our representatives, with our own ideas and solutions, in world and European organizations concerned with the future of the world.
The European Union is a political community of states which builds a common policy on shared universal values. These values are fundamental to the policy of each constitutional party and government institution in the Member States.
The future development of the EU is pivotal in the utmost for Bulgaria’s own development. We should further our relations with the Union based on unity and mutual involvement with the peoples of Europe, with whom Bulgaria’s historic destiny will remain linked during the 21st century.
The prosperity of the EU is our own prosperity, and our own prosperity is prosperity of the EU Member States. This is a new frame of mind that we need to define the spirit of political interaction within the framework of the Union, and which is yet to be built out of the genuine interdependence of the EU countries. The EU must be competitive and have one of the decisive voices in shaping world development.
Bulgaria will pursue its relations with the EU in compliance with its Constitution.
Bulgaria is a stabilizing factor in the Balkans. It aspires to good-neighbourly relations. We are involved in the overall development of the entire Balkan region, on the basis of European values.
We believe that all Balkan countries have their European perspective, and that Bulgaria will facilitate its realization.
Bulgaria’s bilateral relations with the US and Russia are of exceptional importance for this country. Maintaining a balance in these relations is a guiding principle that needs to be formulated and consolidated in Bulgaria’s foreign policy, and adhered to in both foreign political and economic relations.
Bulgaria values its well-intentioned bilateral relations with all countries. It maintains and promotes bilateral cooperation on the basis of treaty relations, mutual respect and mutual benefit. Bulgaria favours non-intervention in the internal policy of States, and strict respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Double standards in foreign policy are unacceptable to us and our partners.