The Great Bulgarian Furniture Shuffle: When Tax Offices Become New Party Headquarters
Ah, a frosty Friday morning in Sofia! The sun’s barely up, yet outside The National Revenue Agency on “Sparrow” Street, it looks like a scene from a reality TV show titled, “Moving Day: Political Edition.” Movers and tax officials bustling around, loading what seems like the entire contents of an IKEA showroom into trucks. Computers, office furniture, and boxes filled with documents—it’s a sight, I tell you!
Evacuation or Celebration?
One man, dressed like he’s just come from a game of ‘DIY Disaster’, smiles broadly when he spots a camera. “We’re evacuating!” he declares, before posing for the picture as if he’s winning an award. That’s confidence, isn’t it? Meanwhile, someone inside could definitely do with a coffee break—or maybe a nice long nap.
Public to Private: A Classic Bulgarian Move
Now, the reason behind this curious relocation? None other than Dimitar Glavchev deciding that the building should go from public to private state property. Talk about a plot twist worthy of a political drama! And if you’re wondering about media transparency, well, let’s just say the government seems to have left that memo behind with the office furniture.
Peevski’s New Playground
Now here’s where it gets juicy: this building will serve as a new headquarters for Delyan Peevski and his crew, dubbed the DPS – New Beginning. Ah, yes, an oligarch who’s been graciously sanctioned in the USA and UK; nothing screams ‘trustworthy politician’ quite like that. This gentleman’s already won 30 seats in the newly elected parliament—clearly, he’s been busy while we’ve been complaining about our Wi-Fi.
Parliament in Limbo
However, don’t be misled—this frenzy is occurring while the current 51st National Assembly is still trying to gather a majority to elect a president. It’s been nearly three weeks since the elections, and we’re still waiting as if we’re all on a very slow bus with no destination in sight! Maybe we should get the movers to start the elections too.
A Curious Case of “Disappeared Necessity”
When the government announced the status change of the building, it was somewhat vague about the ’emergency necessity’ of needing the place for tax officials. No one really mentioned that it would soon turn into a political playground. Free Europe, bless their journalistic hearts, pressed for details—and predictably hit a brick wall. No one wants to be the person holding a flaming bag of peeved taxpayers, now do they?
Behind the Curtain: Control Battles
Rumor has it that Peevski and Ahmed Dogan are locked in a thrilling battle for party control, akin to a soap opera but with more paperwork. Dogan’s faction didn’t even request the building! Looks like Peevski’s management style is more “finders, keepers” than “let’s play fair.”
The Former Glory of 23 Vrabcha St.
Let’s take a step back and stroll down memory lane. This isn’t Peevski’s first dance with 23 Vrabcha St. No, no, this was once the HQ of the NDSV party, where he undoubtedly learned the ropes of the political game. Who said history doesn’t repeat itself? You can’t keep a good oligarch down!
A Political Circus
So there you have it, folks. A once-respected tax agency’s building reshaped into a new venue for political maneuvering. The movers felt like the stars of a show where the set design involves wielding power and strategic office placements. And the question hanging in the air? When will the rest of us catch a break and finally form that elusive parliamentary unity?
Until then, we can only watch, laugh, and occasionally weep at the absurdity of it all. It’s a political circus, and the only tickets available are the ones that come with a side of cold coffee.
On a frigid Friday morning, an unusual hustle and bustle unfolded in front of The National Revenue Agency (NAS) at the prominent address of 23 Vrabcha St. in the heart of the capital. Movers and tax officials were seen actively loading office furniture, computers, and boxes filled with documents into waiting trucks, signaling a significant shift in agency operations. Some employees were also transporting monitors to the neighboring NRA headquarters located on Blvd “Alexander Dondukov”.
“We’re evacuating,” exclaimed a cheerful worker clad in professional attire as he caught sight of the Free Europe camera, pausing momentarily to fix his hair for the shot.
The extensive evacuation from the building has a crucial explanation behind it. On November 13, Dimitar Glavchev, the head of the agency, announced the decision to convert the property from public to private state ownership and allocate it for the management of Sofia’s regional governor.
Notably, the government withheld critical information from the media regarding the motives behind this change – the building will serve as the headquarters for the DPS – New Beginning, a faction led by Delyan Peevski, who has been sanctioned for corruption by both the USA and Great Britain. Following the schism within the DPS, Peevski emerged as leader of the new faction, securing 30 seats in the newly constituted parliament, while the faction under the honorary chairman Ahmed Dogan managed to capture only 19 seats.
Legally, any political party that possesses a parliamentary group or enough deputies is entitled to office space allocated by the state or municipality. However, the 51st National Assembly faces challenges in commencing its sessions since it has yet to muster a majority to elect a president. Nearly three weeks after the elections held on October 27, no official parliamentary groups have been established.
Despite these circumstances, the Glavchev cabinet expedited the allocation of office space to Peevski’s faction. Prior to the DPS’s division, he had been utilizing office space in the building located on Alexander Stamboliyski Blvd., a property the movement has occupied since the mid-1990s.
Earlier this summer, the caretaker government faced backlash for allegedly prioritizing Peevski’s interests. Critics pointed to Glavchev’s replacement of two regional governors with close allies of the controversial DPS leader.
What the caretaker government hid
The announcement regarding the change of status for the NRA building at 23 Vrabcha St. came from the government information service following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. While proclaiming the change as a response to a “disappeared necessity” for the tax agency and two other institutions to continue utilizing the property, the statement deliberately omitted any mention of the new party headquarters at that location or the involvement of Peevski’s faction.
Interestingly, the name of the politician, affected by the international “Magnitsky” sanctions, was conspicuously absent from the official decision by The Council of Ministers (MC) that Free Europe has obtained. The document only indicates that the building will be assigned to the DPS.
According to unconfirmed sources, Dogan’s faction did not submit a formal request for office space from the governing authorities. Currently, the two factions within the DPS are embroiled in a power struggle for control of the party, which was previously jointly led by both Peevski and Jevdet Chakarov, the latter remaining loyal to Dogan.
Inquiries put forth by Free Europe to the government information service included questions about which of the two factions had requested the building at 23 Vrabcha St. Additionally, inquiries were made regarding when the Council of Ministers determined the property was no longer essential for the agencies previously occupying it.
The tax directorates “Gambling Supervision” and “State Receivables,” along with the Agency for Public Enterprises and Control and the Bulgarian Investment Agency, had operational offices within the building. They were surprisingly given just 48 hours to vacate the premises, as learned from sources within the NRA.
Responding to the media’s inquiries, the government information service relayed questions to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRRB), which initiated the status change for the building. Shortly after, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued a press statement clarifying that the NRA and the other agencies had independently informed the ministry of their non-necessity for the building, prompting the initiation of the handover process to DPS – A New Beginning.
We also reached out via written request for a comment to the management of the National Revenue Agency, but did not receive a response.
A politician from “We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB), Bohdan Bohdanov, commented on Friday in front of the media at Parliament, stating, “For a party to receive state property, it must have a parliamentary group, which there are none as of now. The government is merely catering to the insatiable desires of an oligarch seeking to capture state power. This is deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
Apart from DPS – New Beginning, another emerging parliamentary entity, MECH led by Radostin Vassilev, is also entitled to a secured state office. However, there has been no indication that it has been granted such accommodation despite the urgent requests.
What is the building at 23 Vrabcha St?
This will not be the first occasion Peevski enters the building at 23 Vrabcha St. Historically, it served as the headquarters for NDSV, the political party where Peevski initially began his political journey in the early 2000s.
In 2001, the NDSV, under the leadership of Simeon of Saxe-Coburg, triumphed in parliamentary elections and formed a government with the backing of the DPS. The newly appointed Minister of Transport, Plamen Petrov, appointed the then-21-year-old Peevski as his parliamentary secretary and placed him on the board of directors for “Port of Varna.”
Over the coming years, Peevski steadily advanced through the political ranks, serving as an investigator and later as deputy minister for state policy on disasters and accidents, eventually securing a position as an MP upon formally joining the DPS, where he was introduced as an influential member by Dogan.
The NDSV last held seats in Parliament in 2005. Thereafter, they participated in a coalition government alongside the BSP and the DPS, with Sergey Stanishev as the Prime Minister. Peevski held the role of deputy minister under Emel Etem during this tenure.
Once the Saxe-Coburg party lost its parliamentary presence, it ceased operations in the building at 23 Vrabcha Street, with portions of it subsequently allocated to the ABV party under Georgi Parvanov after they entered parliament in 2014.
To date, the building has been utilized by the National Revenue Agency, the Agency for Public Enterprises and Control, and the Bulgarian Investment Agency.
What motivated the caretaker government to change the status of the NRA building at 23 Vrabcha St. without transparency regarding party affiliations?
What the caretaker government hid
The announcement regarding the change of status for the NRA building at 23 Vrabcha St. came from the government information service following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. While proclaiming the change as a response to a “disappeared necessity” for the tax agency and two other institutions to continue utilizing the property, the statement deliberately omitted any mention of the new party headquarters at that location or the involvement of Peevski’s faction.
Interestingly, the name of the politician, affected by the international “Magnitsky” sanctions, was conspicuously absent from the official decision by The Council of Ministers (MC) that Free Europe has obtained. The document only indicates that the building will be assigned to the DPS.
According to unconfirmed sources, Dogan’s faction did not submit a formal request for office space from the governing authorities. Currently, the two factions within the DPS are embroiled in a power struggle for control of the party, which was previously jointly led by both Peevski and Jevdet Chakarov, the latter remaining loyal to Dogan.
Inquiries put forth by Free Europe to the government information service included questions about which of the two factions had requested the building at 23 Vrabcha St. Additionally, inquiries were made regarding when the Council of Ministers determined the property was no longer essential for the agencies previously occupying it.
The tax directorates “Gambling Supervision” and “State Receivables,” along with the Agency for Public Enterprises and Control and the Bulgarian Investment Agency, had operational offices within the building. They were surprisingly given just 48 hours to vacate the premises, as learned from sources within the NRA.
Responding to the media’s inquiries, the government information service relayed questions to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRRB), which initiated the status change for the building. Shortly after, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications issued a press statement clarifying that the NRA and the other agencies had independently informed the ministry of their non-necessity for the building, prompting the initiation of the handover process to DPS – A New Beginning.
We also reached out via written request for a comment to the management of the National Revenue Agency, but did not receive a response.
A politician from “We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB), Bohdan Bohdanov, commented on Friday in front of the media at Parliament, stating, “For a party to receive state property, it must have a parliamentary group, which there are none as of now. The government is merely catering to the insatiable desires of an oligarch seeking to capture state power. This is deeply troubling and unacceptable.”
Apart from DPS – New Beginning, another emerging parliamentary entity, MECH led by Radostin Vassilev, is also entitled to a secured state office. However, there has been no indication that it has been granted such accommodation despite the urgent requests.
This segment provides information about the ongoing political shifts in Bulgaria, touching on the change of status for the National Revenue Agency building and the power struggles within factions of the DPS party.
