Bulgaria Ethnic Turkish Leader Ahmed Dogan: No Regrets

The ethnic Turkish party leader, who stirred a fierce political controversy after openly claiming to be Bulgaria's back seat ruler, has said he sees nothing scandalous in his statement.

"There is nothing to feel sorry about. All parties do what I have said, but only I have the courage to say it out loud," Ahmed Dogan said in an interview for Trud daily.

"I am the instrument in power that allocates the portions to the firms in the country. I want you to be very aware of this fact", Dogan said in a video footage from an election campaign meeting on June 18, 2009, in the village of Kochan, Satovcha Municipality, in southwest Bulgaria.

Dogan described his ethnic party as a virus, which is impossible to cure. According to him great times are ahead for the party, which will come to recruit one day more than one million members.

In the interview for Trud daily Dogan, known for a few notorious statements, recalls the most famous one from 2005, in which he claimed that every political party in Bulgaria used "rings of firms" to fund its activities.

"The reactions now are the same as when I spoke about the rings of firms. Can you show me at least one single serious party, which can deny that it is surrounded by business structures?," Dogan comnmented.

He added that what he said reflects just part of the way politics work, the place and role of the leader in the cooperation between the central and local authorities. He specified that he referred particularly to the municipalities, ruled by his party members.

Dogan stressed that certain parties are waging a campaign against the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, but this helps the party build "a positive and people-oriented electioneering".

"Hatred breeds hatred. But these days I want to turn to the Almighty with a prayer to cleanse the souls of those, who hate us and save us from the temptation to respond to them with hatred. Where shall we get otherwise?"

According to him the pre-election campaign suffers from a chronic shortage of ideas and none of the political forces has the vision how Bulgaria can deal with the crisis.

Dogan voiced his confidence that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms will remain an important factor in Bulgaria's public and political life, no matter whether it will be a ruling or opposition party.

"This is our goal. We have no other. And we will achieve it!", Dogan said in conclusion.

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