Maxim Behar: "Bulgaria is full of smart and capable people, lacking good managers.”

Maxim Behar, a world-renowned PR expert, claims that the current political landscape in Bulgaria is already outdated, unsellable, and ineffective.

An interview for the Bulgarian magazine "Gallery."

Mr. Behar, how would you comment on the failed rotation of the Bulgarian cabinet?

I'm not sure if "failed" is the right word. It was a bit of an artificial cabinet from two political formations that practically hated each other, and no matter how friendly their meetings might have been, they publicly spoke quite openly to each other. Or at least certain politicians from each side did. My surprise lies more in the rather sharp change in their relationship after it became clear that neither side would keep their word... Even enemies don't use such language among themselves. Of course, this is politics; it's about influence, power, and probably a lot of money, but there are still some generally accepted standards of respect and basic polite language that were drastically violated. Naturally, everyone can say that Bulgaria is above all, that there should be understanding and a common policy, but that should be proven in practice, not just in words and not just in television studios.

What are the main reasons for the (non)coalition to fall apart? Is it only the ongoing reform of the judicial system, services, and regulators for about a decade, or is there another main reason?

It's everything all together. The reason is simple – the party that has been in power for the last 12 years started losing ground, and their "opponents" wanted to expand their power. At one point, GERB decided that elections were the better option for them and had a good chance of returning to power. The presence of any other party in a future rotational government could have obstructed them, and unfortunately, "We Continue the Change," and their partners didn't understand the purpose of the whole game... Yes “game” might be the most accurate word for everything that has been happening in Bulgaria over the past year.

In your opinion, is there a new series of parliamentary elections coming?

Yes, my forecast is that there will be a series of elections in Bulgaria in the next few years, and this will seriously shake the confidence of investors, and I'm not sure that there will be any international company considering starting a business in our country.

Are there any chances for a new political force to emerge soon that could stimulate an increase in voter presence, as happened in 2001?

Certainly, there is a need for a new political force, people with vision, charisma, international experience, and pragmatic solutions. The world now, in 2024, has nothing to do with the world just a decade ago. If we stick with the same politicians, the same messages, and the same understanding of how politics is done, then Bulgaria will significantly fall behind in its development.

Recently, you mentioned that we should use the polling stations and social media as needed. What do you mean?

Well, of course, the polling stations are where the decisions are made about who should govern us. They should be used so that the best, most honest, and most capable professionals can take power. On the other hand, social media is where we see exactly who these people are. Election campaigns relying on a folk singer performing at the square to win people's hearts for one party or another are already in the past. Unfortunately, I cannot point out a politician who uses social media intelligently and professionally to gain followers, to convince them not only of his ideas but also that they are necessary and applicable... Actually, everyone has ideas, not just in Bulgaria but all over the world. But to succeed in politics, finding like-minded individuals and people who will accept these ideas as their own is essential. That's why social media is priceless.

As a PR expert, how do you comment on politicians' constant statements? Are they succeeding in sending understandable messages to the people, or are they remaining in the realm of populism and rural charlatans?

Politics, again – not only in Bulgaria – has become a "profession," the quotation marks are not accidental, and people who are incapable of anything else end up there. I say this with pain and regret. From everywhere, mainly from television studios and social media, the same clichés pour out of boring and sometimes even unpleasant people who are placed in comical situations from absurd films. I carefully watched the so-called ceremony on Friday regarding the project presentation for a new government... Well, if that's not a comedy! Pale people with shaking voices present their ideas to other people, against whom third parties speak, who are hated by others... Here, we are talking about the future of Bulgaria. But let me tell you – the problem is not in these people; the real problem is in the political system, which has long stopped functioning. Indeed, the whole world has changed; we have new media, new ways of communication, of doing business... but the system of control over politicians, over their actions or inaction, remains the same – once every four years in the polling stations. Finally, the presentation of the so-called PR consultants to political parties and leaders in these months is tragic. I sincerely pity those people who think they are doing something intelligent, creative, and useful. But this is not only in Bulgaria; political marketing is in a global crisis because the politics themselves are in such a crisis. They are unsellable and unachievable.

Which of the parties in parliament best propagates its ideas?

In my opinion, none of them. The voters are apathetic and have already seen everything – left-wing, right-wing, liberals, conservatives... Of course, we all want a better life, but there are thousands of examples of its achievement with no effort at all, the unpunished "heroes" who freely and proudly roam the streets in their powerful, expensive cars, the thousands of posts about who took something illegally without any consequences, is what strongly demotivates the voters, and they do not believe in ideas. Nor in promises. I have no idea whether it is time to consider the absurd idea of ​​a truly external independent expert coming to govern Bulgaria. Still, the difficulty is that, once again, they will have to follow the outdated political system and, most importantly – work with the same people. I know this is a utopia; I'm just using metaphors. Don't take these words of mine as a description of hopelessness; it's just that the world is changing, becoming more transparent, and with that, more ethical, and those who are used to living off deals "under the table" or with questionable stories want to take advantage for the last time, with whatever they can.

Do the major media manage to present political battles impartially?

There are no longer impartial media, except for social media, where we can see all possible opinions and also express our own. In a commercial world where traditional media is overshadowed by social media. As major media outlets are losing influence and becoming more reliant on advertisers and sponsors, the possibility of impartial or independent media is diminishing. And I think this is just how things are, again – the world is changing. But this fact requires much more attention from us so that we can form our own opinion from multiple sources and make our decisions on who to vote for in the most informed way possible.

Recently, businesses in our country have complained about a lack of skilled workers. Is this only due to low wages and migration to richer countries?

The reasons are many – a new generation, two "easy" decades with no serious battles that raised young people without instincts for struggle and success, the desire of people in Bulgaria to "get rich quick, but if possible by lunchtime" (as Sasha Morfov put it)... The differences in living standards are naturally significant between Western countries and Bulgaria, but they were even more significant in the 1990s when the labor market was much more competitive. But... in any case, Bulgaria has a lot of wonderful young people, and I would say not enough skilled managers to seek them out, inspire them, and make such profitable businesses that their employees are satisfied.

In your opinion, will Bulgarians have to wait those 40 years wandering in the desert with Moses to become part of a normal European country?

Oh, no! We are a normal European country even now! I don't see that many irregularities in Bulgaria's development compared to any other country in the world. Indeed, our expectations are much higher, but what has been achieved in these 33 years is not insignificant at all. And again, we expect and want much more, we want honest and fair transparent business, we want good relationships between people, and we want a peaceful and good life. There's no one else to make it happen but us.