Greatness Величие | |
---|---|
Leader | Nikolay Markov |
Chairwoman | Albena Pekova[1] |
Founded | 25 July 2023[2] |
Headquarters | Starata Banya building, Vitosha street, Vetrino, Vetrino Municipality, Varna Province |
Paramilitary wing | Bulgarski Yunak |
Political position | Far-right[3] |
Colors | Red |
Slogan | "From the ashes to the sun!" (Bulgarian: "От пепелта към слънцето!") |
National Assembly | 13 / 240 |
European Parliament | 0 / 17 |
Vetrino Municipal Council[4] | 6 / 13 |
Website | |
velichie | |
Velichie (Bulgarian: Величие, lit. 'Greatness')[5] is a Bulgarian political party led by former National Guard Service lieutenant colonel Nikolay Markov . The party's positions are strong in Vetrino Municipality.
Until 2007, Nikolay Markovpresidents, prime ministers, ministers and top politicians. Although Markov was known as "the colonel", he left the system with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He left the NSO in 2007 after a scandal with then-president Georgi Parvanov, whom he accused of abusing his power by collecting information that was inconvenient for politicians.[6] After that, Markov appeared in some media as an expert on national security and counterterrorism.[7][8]
served for 14 years in the National Guard Service (NSO), the service that guards Bulgaria'sThe Velichie party was founded in the summer of 2023[9] around the figure of Markov.[10] The party appeared on the Bulgarian political scene during the 2023 Bulgarian local elections, when they gained 40.51% of the votes in the Vetrino Municipality.[11] Velichie is closely linked to the Vetrino Municipality: one of the major figures in the party is Ivelin Mikhailov, the head of a historical park located in the region and an organizer of patriotic events. Mikhailov was once close to Revival chairman Kostadin Kostadinov, but he distanced himself from the party in favor of Velichie in 2023. Velichie has its own paramilitary organization, called "Bulgarski Yunak" (lit. 'Bulgarian Hero') and registered as a sports club, led by Ivelin Mikhailov. The organization's military training includes "urban survival" and "building capture and retreat with covering fire."[12]
In April 2024, Velichie leader Nikolay Markov announced that the party would participate in snap parliamentary election and in the European Parliament election.[13] Viktoriya Vasileva , a former member of the National Assembly from Union of Democratic Forces and then from There is Such a People, also participates in the work of the Velichie party. She is the leader Sofia regional party list in the 2024 elections.[12]
According to calculations by Bulgarian sociological agencies, as well as a Gallup parallel calculation, the Velichie party passes the 4% electoral threshold for the parliamentary election and gains about 12 mandates in the National Assembly.[5] Earlier, Markov stated that he does not believe that Velichie will enter the National Assembly in the election on 9 June 2024.[7]
According to Nikolay Markov, the main goals of the party are to promote Bulgarian investments in the country, accelerate the completion of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant and bring the fight against organized crime in the country to the European level. Markov also pointed out the prevention of Bulgaria's participation in the military conflict in Ukraine, suspending the legal possibilities of such military intervention.[14]
Bulgarian media call Velichie a Russophile and anti-Western party,[9][10] competing with Revival in this field.[7][15]