The Citizen Discussion on the influence of Covid-19 on the democratic debate has been successfully held in Varna, Bulgaria. A total of 22 participants, part of the local community, participated in the discussion and shared their opinions and views on questions related to subtopics such as the lack of political transparency, the governments of experts, electoral process and campaign during Covid-19, the role of the media and the social protest during the pandemic.
During the event participants of different ages were engaged in active discussion whose main goal was to collect their opinions and common resolutions on the matters discussed during the conversation. The event was joined and moderated by Zornitza Draganova – Senior Assistant Professor at The Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at BAS.
The discussion started with a brief introduction of Ms. Draganova’s research related to the thematic of the HEARD project. It familiarized the participants with the main tendencies that shaped the democratic debate in Bulgaria during the Covid-19 crisis. After the introduction participants were asked to share their personal thoughts on the given topic. All participants were actively engaged in the conversation and shared their concerns and personal experience, provoked by the pandemic and its influence on the democracy in Bulgaria. Their perspectives enriched the study by adding new focal points to be discussed in the future.
The discussion on the influence of Covid-19 on the democratic debate in Bulgaria was a part of the agenda of the HEARD project, executed in partnership with organisations based in nine countries: Slovenia (leading partner), Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, France and Cyprus and funded under the CERV Programme. CERV aims to protect and promote European Union rights and values as enshrined in the EU Treaties and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It aims to contribute to sustaining and further developing open, rights-based, democratic, equal and inclusive societies based on the rule of law.