11/4/2019

On November 9, the Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy (BOLD) will hold a mini-series of panel discussions under the general heading “Post-Election: Civic Participation in Local Self-Government”.

BOLD will hold a mini-series of panel discussions on civic participation in local government at the Vlaykova Cinema (11 Tsar Ivan Asen II Street) in Sofia, on November 9, from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall – the symbolic beginning of democratic change in Central and Eastern Europe, and one week after the local elections in our country, the Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy (BOLD) will organize a mini-series of panel discussions on “Post-election: Civic participation in local self-government”.

The purpose of the four panels is to shape the messages of an envisaged Address through which citizens and organizations will call on the newly elected mayors and municipal councilors to respect and realize the right of citizens to participate in decision-making processes that affect them. The discussions will highlight some of the most important causes civil society is fighting for in its interaction with local authorities.

Citizens, representatives of civil movements and initiatives, non-governmental organizations supporting human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as representatives of local authorities will be our guests.

The program

Topics related to eco-social justice, fundamental human rights and freedoms, children and education, and the empowerment of disadvantaged groups will be discussed in four 45-minute panel discussions. The focus of the presentations and discussions will be on the role of civic participation and the responsibility of local authorities in these thematic areas. Speakers and moderators will include representatives of eco-social movements, human rights organizations, child protection organizations, social service providers, specialists and academics, including Alexander Kashamov, Krassimir Kanev, Ivanka Shalapatova, Iva Boneva, Nadezhda Deneva, Yuliana Metodieva, Anna Krasteva, Rumyan Rusinov and others.

The address to the newly elected mayors and municipal councilors

Participants will be invited to help develop and subsequently support an Address to the newly elected mayors and municipal councilors, who will be called upon to respect the right of citizens to participate in public and political life and in governance. The expected key messages will recall that participation in social and political life is a recognized right of everyone, but it must be exercised so as not to infringe on the rights of others.

At the same time, civic participation is one of the ways in which citizens can protect their rights, especially when they are violated by the authorities. Municipalities must create conditions for civic participation that allow citizens to exercise control over their policy-making and implementation activities at the local level, as well as to ensure civic participation in decision-making. Respecting civic participation, local authorities must resist all manifestations of anti-democratic populism. Nor should they succumb to street pressure when it runs against human rights. Local authorities also have the difficult task of resisting pressure from people with money and power while pursuing policies in the public interest.

What is BOLD

The Bulgarian Community for Liberal Democracy (BOLD) is a newly established value community that seeks to improve cooperation between supporters of democracy in Bulgaria, to develop new strategies for communicating liberal values, and to strengthen the resistance of civil society against anti-democratic campaigns.

For inquiries from the media

Dr Dimitrina Petrova,

Chairman of the BOLD Initiative Committee

e-mail: Dimitrina.petrova@bghelsinki.org