At the recent regular meeting of the Silistra Municipal Council, a report was reviewed and voted on, submitted on behalf of the mayor of the municipality, requesting the provision of a municipal property space for the needs of the leadership of the “Vazrajdane” party.
What seemed like a routine procedure based on the Political Parties Act should have gone smoothly, but it stirred up controversy. The reason for this was the individual who made the request on behalf of the party’s leadership and presented himself as its representative before the municipal administration. The expectation in this case was that the request would be made by one of the local activists of “Vazrajdane”, known to the media and citizens.
However, surprisingly, the report stated that the application for the provision of a space from an office building in Silistra had been submitted by Zornitsa Kalinova, who acts as the party’s proxy and is making this request on behalf of its leadership.
Facts Regarding the Representative
Zornitsa Kalinova is the wife of a municipal employee—the director of the Finance Directorate in Silistra, Miroslav Kalinov. There is inherently nothing unusual about this in terms of engaging in political activity; however, the Kalinov family has not previously been publicly known for their ties to or support for the “Revival” political party and its initiatives, nor have they ever been associated with its local activists.
On the contrary, they have consistently expressed their connections and support for the established status quo and the ruling majority from the “GERB” party.
Until recently, Zornitsa Kalinova was a member of the “GERB” party, and her Facebook profile still features photos with former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and ballot number 5—the ballot that the party used in the elections in June 2021. Miroslav Kalinov’s close relationships with the regional coordinator of GERB, Todor Todorov, are also well-known.
It is normal for individuals to change their political views, but suddenly leading a party that claims to be fighting against the existing political status quo, without any prior public announcement, raises suspicions. It is also unclear what the family’s relationship is with the established order.
These questions are also being raised by local activists of “Vazrajdane”. Their structure was dissolved in 2020, but a core group of activists was retained, and there were intentions to rebuild it.
For a comment regarding the situation, we reached out to Marin Nikolov, the former chairman of the previous “Vazrajdane” structure in Silistra. He expressed that he was very surprised by the developments and that this was the result of Zornitsa Kalinova’s relationships with someone from “Vazrajdane” in Sofia, having nothing to do with Silistra. In other words, she was neither recommended by local activists nor does she enjoy their trust.
However, she evidently has the trust of Kostadin Kostadinov, as she has a power of attorney from him; otherwise, she would not have been able to submit an application as a representative.
At the phone number left for contact on the “Vazrajdane” – Silistra Facebook page (now changed), Maria Stefanova, a former parliamentary candidate on the “Vazrajdane” list for Silistra’s 20th electoral district, answered. She commented that Zornitsa Kalinova is merely a proxy (for Kostadinov) and that the power of attorney is valid. She also stated that the local structure still exists but is in the process of electing a chairman (there is currently none).
Facts Regarding the Structure
On April 4, 2022, Kostadin Kostadinov held an “Open Meeting with Citizens” in Silistra.
At the beginning of the meeting, he stated that it was initially planned as a “meeting with the activists” (of”Vazrajdane”, not open to all citizens. This indicates that there is indeed a local activist group recognized by the party. However, later in the conversation (48 minutes into the recording), in response to a citizen’s question, he indicates that “Vazrajdane” does not have a local organization and names some people present at the meeting who could assist in its establishment—selecting new leadership and reconstituting the organization. These individuals include Nikolay Drenchiev, the party’s organizational secretary, Yulian Gubatav, who is from Varna but is a son-in-law of Silistra, and Marin Nikolov, the chairman of the former structure, who is from Silistra.
Zornitsa Kalinova was not among those mentioned, even though the Kalinov family attended the event, according to eyewitnesses. It is therefore surprising that she suddenly appears as the “representative of the political party “Vazrajdane” to request a space for the leadership of the party in Silistra, as recorded in the report submitted to the local parliament. Moreover, she has a power of attorney from Kostadin Kostadinov.
Marin Nikolov clarified that similar efforts to find an office space for the party had been prepared by the local activists. However, when they called Sofia to make a proposal, the activists suddenly learned that the central office had delegated the powers to another individual. They were simply informed that they already had someone at the local level to initiate the procedure. It turned out to be none other than Ms. Kalinova—previously a former activist of GERB.
Logically, questions arise regarding who currently represents and who will represent “Revival” in Silistra. What was the motivation behind delegating trust to Zornitsa Kalinova? Is there an agreement between GERB and “Revival,” or is it something else? Interestingly, Zornitsa Kalinova and “Revival” activist Marin Nikolov are colleagues, working at the same school, the “Professional High School of Agricultural Mechanization” in the village of Sredishthe. He teaches history, while she teaches practical courses. However, until recently, he was unaware of her appointment and her relationship with Kostadinov.
One fact to consider is that the local structure was dissolved after Velislav Hristov, a Silistra native and vice-chairman of the party, left the central leadership due to disagreements with Kostadin Kostadinov. He was replaced by Tsoncho Ganchev in 2020. Therefore, one possible assumption is that local activists who belong to the old core formed around Velislav Hristov are being deliberately ignored by the central leadership of the party. This is supported by the fact that there were no candidates from Silistra on the lists in the recent elections.
In addition to their connection with the GERB party, Miroslav and Zornitsa Kalinov are also linked to the most “popular” local media outlet—the website “Kvorum-Silistra.” It is no secret that the site is maintained by the Kalinov family. Until recently, the website functioned as a PR agency for the GERB party and, in particular, for the party’s regional coordinator, Todor Todorov.
We sought a comment from Mr. Kalinov on the topic, but he declined to respond. He did, however, state that Zornitsa Kalinova had recently become a member of “Revival”—a fact that was unknown even to local activists.
Miroslav Kalinov also refused to comment on his connection to the “Kvorum-Silistra” website, but according to the commercial register, since December 2020, Zornitsa Kalinova has been the sole owner of the company “Kvorum SS” Ltd., which is engaged in publishing activities and managing electronic websites. The site still lists the company “Kvorum Media” Ltd., which belongs to Alexander Levi, a current correspondent for BTA. However, their collaboration ended in 2020.
The company “Kvorum Media” Ltd. no longer exists as it has been renamed “News 77,” and it is assumed that the site now operates entirely under “Kvorum SS.” The website has been functioning for over ten years and generates all kinds of news, often copied from other media—almost always without citing sources or providing authorship. This strategy aims to generate traffic, which translates into financial gain.
In 2020, a YouTube channel was also created for the site under the same name as the company—”Kvorum SS.” Some of the uploaded video materials are original. One of the original reports by the Kalinov family, featured on the Kvorum website, is from the protest on May 11, 2022—a car procession organized by “Revival,” starting from the Kaufland parking lot. At that time, the Kalinovs merely attended the protest, observing “from the back rows” without participating. The individuals who made statements as organizers to the media were Marin Nikolov and Nikolai Tzonev.
We also reached out to Zornitsa Kalinova by phone for a comment. She categorically refused to answer our questions about her relationship with Kostadin Kostadinov and her connection to the Kvorum website.
When dialing her phone number, the label “Kvorum SS” appears.
With 19 abstentions, 3 votes against, and 5 in favor, the report submitted at the request of Zornitsa Kalinova was not supported by the municipal councilors.
Local representatives from GERB, the party to which Zornitsa Kalinova previously belonged, voted with abstentions and against. The voting was further swayed by the fact that there was an approval signature on the report from Miroslav Kalinov in his capacity as deputy mayor of finance.
This prompted a discussion about a potential conflict of interest within the committees. It was further fueled by the response to a publication on the Facebook page “Civil Control Silistra,” where, shortly before the vote, the facts of the case were presented, revealing who represents “Vazrajdane” with a power of attorney from Kostadin Kostadinov.
However, it is typical for rejected reports to be reintroduced for a new vote, and it remains to be seen how and by whom the report will be resubmitted.
It is still unclear who will lead “Vazrajdane” in Silistra.
It could turn out to be yet again “our person” from GERB.
