A petition endorsed by prominent Bulgarian civil activists urges the Prosecutors Office to ban the far-right Vazrazhdane (Revival) Party, accusing the party and its leader, Kostadin Kostadinov, of actively undermining Bulgaria's democratic legal order.

Vazrazhdane, identified as a pro-Kremlin, anti-EU and anti-Nato party, is the third-largest group in the current parliament with 37 seats out of the 240-seat house. 

The petition, submitted by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (BHC) to acting prosecutor-general Borislav Sarafov, asserts that Vazrazhdane has been increasingly advocating violence and employing illegal tactics to achieve its political objectives.

“The activities of the Vazrazhdane Party and its leader Kostadin Kostadinov aim to destroy the democratic legal order in Bulgaria,” the BHC said in a statement. 

Numerous instances of the party's violations of the Political Parties Act and the constitution are cited in the document. It also highlights cases where Vazrazhdane activists, including its leader, have resorted to or incited violence. 

One such incident is the party's campaign against anti-COVID measures, which led to public injuries. Additionally, the petition denounces the party's antisemitism and spreading hatred towards refugees, Roma and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

"Expressing opposing views on public policy issues is a normal process in a democratic state," the petition says. "But the use of unlawful means to achieve political ends, including the use and incitement to violence, cannot enjoy the constitutional and legal protection of freedom of expression and freedom of association in a democratic society."

The document bears the signatures of several civil rights activists, leaders of the Bulgarian Jewish community, LGBTQ+ activists, academics, intellectuals and professionals from various fields. It has been forwarded to the Supreme Bar Council and the Ombudsman.

The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee urged people to sign the petition. It said that the online petition has already gathered broad support. 

In response to the petition, Kostadinov said in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) on July 31 that those seeking to ban his party were resorting to such measures because they were unable to confront them through other means. He described the signatories as exhibiting “intellectual weakness” and accused them of being supporters of the ruling Change Continues-Democratic Bulgaria coalition.