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| In Bulgaria, a Businessman Who Talks (and Acts) Like Trump | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| SOFIA, Bulgaria — Veselin Mareshki is a self-promoting tycoon who emblazons his last name on the hundreds of pharmacies he owns across Bulgaria. He’s also a blunt-talking anvil of a populist who preaches patriotism, strict immigration controls, friendlier relations with Moscow and, above all, the need to “sweep away the garbage” of a corrupt political establishment. | SOFIA, Bulgaria — Veselin Mareshki is a self-promoting tycoon who emblazons his last name on the hundreds of pharmacies he owns across Bulgaria. He’s also a blunt-talking anvil of a populist who preaches patriotism, strict immigration controls, friendlier relations with Moscow and, above all, the need to “sweep away the garbage” of a corrupt political establishment. |
| Mr. Mareshki, 49, recognizes that the sentiment may sound a little familiar. | Mr. Mareshki, 49, recognizes that the sentiment may sound a little familiar. |
| “I believe I am an anti-establishment candidate like Donald Trump,” he said. “And we will be able to change the world.” | “I believe I am an anti-establishment candidate like Donald Trump,” he said. “And we will be able to change the world.” |
| Europe, especially in the formerly Communist countries in the East, has seen a surge in recent years of populist politicians. But after President Trump’s surprise victory, even more of them are embracing and identifying with aspects of the new American president’s style and life story. | Europe, especially in the formerly Communist countries in the East, has seen a surge in recent years of populist politicians. But after President Trump’s surprise victory, even more of them are embracing and identifying with aspects of the new American president’s style and life story. |
| “I feel a lot of similarities between our campaigns,” Mr. Mareshki said. “We can see that Mr. Trump took a very different approach from the mainstream candidates in America, and so do I.” | “I feel a lot of similarities between our campaigns,” Mr. Mareshki said. “We can see that Mr. Trump took a very different approach from the mainstream candidates in America, and so do I.” |
| Mr. Mareshki, whose only previous political experience had been a stint on the City Council in Varna and an unsuccessful run for mayor of that city, his hometown on the Black Sea coast, stunned Bulgarians late last year by garnering 11 percent in the first round of voting for president, far above what the polling had predicted. It was a sizable achievement for a campaign that had no advertising budget and had staged few events. | Mr. Mareshki, whose only previous political experience had been a stint on the City Council in Varna and an unsuccessful run for mayor of that city, his hometown on the Black Sea coast, stunned Bulgarians late last year by garnering 11 percent in the first round of voting for president, far above what the polling had predicted. It was a sizable achievement for a campaign that had no advertising budget and had staged few events. |
| Now he is hoping to capitalize on that strong showing by forming a new political party — which he calls Will, a word that in Bulgarian connotes strength of character — in parliamentary elections on March 26. His similarities to Mr. Trump, he believes, will help him. | Now he is hoping to capitalize on that strong showing by forming a new political party — which he calls Will, a word that in Bulgarian connotes strength of character — in parliamentary elections on March 26. His similarities to Mr. Trump, he believes, will help him. |
| “I am a successful businessman who started a business and built it over almost 30 years into something very successful,” Mr. Mareshki said. “And I gained a lot of experiences in those years, so I am not afraid to speak directly to the people and call things by their real names.” | “I am a successful businessman who started a business and built it over almost 30 years into something very successful,” Mr. Mareshki said. “And I gained a lot of experiences in those years, so I am not afraid to speak directly to the people and call things by their real names.” |
| Some relative newcomers to politics, like Mr. Mareshki, are more eager than others to accept the Trump comparisons. Others, who have been around a while, like to point out that it is Mr. Trump who is copying them with his nationalist themes and aggressive approach on immigration. | Some relative newcomers to politics, like Mr. Mareshki, are more eager than others to accept the Trump comparisons. Others, who have been around a while, like to point out that it is Mr. Trump who is copying them with his nationalist themes and aggressive approach on immigration. |
| “Mareshki’s parallel with Trump is quite strong,” said Daniel Smilov, an analyst at the Center for Liberal Strategies, a research group in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. “They have differences in emphasis, but Mareshki says a lot of things that Trump says. The overlaps are quite significant.” | “Mareshki’s parallel with Trump is quite strong,” said Daniel Smilov, an analyst at the Center for Liberal Strategies, a research group in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. “They have differences in emphasis, but Mareshki says a lot of things that Trump says. The overlaps are quite significant.” |
| Boryana Dimitrova, a managing partner at Alpha Research, a market research company in Sofia, said that Europe’s populists tended to fall into three categories. | Boryana Dimitrova, a managing partner at Alpha Research, a market research company in Sofia, said that Europe’s populists tended to fall into three categories. |
| There are the flat-out nationalists, Ms. Dimitrova said, who talk about building walls around their countries, protecting the purity of the culture. Some of these nationalists are rich, some are not. | There are the flat-out nationalists, Ms. Dimitrova said, who talk about building walls around their countries, protecting the purity of the culture. Some of these nationalists are rich, some are not. |
| Then there are the anti-establishment populists, who have no particular ideology but are dedicated to overturning the status quo. | Then there are the anti-establishment populists, who have no particular ideology but are dedicated to overturning the status quo. |
| Finally, there are “the business guys,” Ms. Dimitrova said. They try to use their success as evidence that they could reform the system and eliminate corruption. | Finally, there are “the business guys,” Ms. Dimitrova said. They try to use their success as evidence that they could reform the system and eliminate corruption. |
| Mr. Trump’s achievement was to find a message and an approach that appealed to all three groups in the United States. | Mr. Trump’s achievement was to find a message and an approach that appealed to all three groups in the United States. |
| The Sofia offices of Mr. Mareshki’s party sprawl through a dozen mostly empty rooms in a modern, glass-faced office block with views of the crumbling roofs of the capital. | The Sofia offices of Mr. Mareshki’s party sprawl through a dozen mostly empty rooms in a modern, glass-faced office block with views of the crumbling roofs of the capital. |
| Some of the rooms are filled with half-assembled desks, awaiting soon-to-arrive campaign workers. Mr. Mareshki works out of a large office, sitting behind a broad desk in a sharply pressed black suit over an open-collared white shirt, with a fashionable stubble on his square jaw and a short bristle covering his head. | Some of the rooms are filled with half-assembled desks, awaiting soon-to-arrive campaign workers. Mr. Mareshki works out of a large office, sitting behind a broad desk in a sharply pressed black suit over an open-collared white shirt, with a fashionable stubble on his square jaw and a short bristle covering his head. |
| “The impression he gives is that he looks like us, he talks like us,” Mr. Smilov said. He has that “Trump linguistic policy” of speaking bluntly, often in raw, politically incorrect ways. “Ordinary people like that kind of talk, it turns out,” Mr. Smilov said. | “The impression he gives is that he looks like us, he talks like us,” Mr. Smilov said. He has that “Trump linguistic policy” of speaking bluntly, often in raw, politically incorrect ways. “Ordinary people like that kind of talk, it turns out,” Mr. Smilov said. |
| Mr. Mareshki got his start in business — as did many wealthy men across Eastern Europe — in the tumultuous shift to capitalism in the early 1990s. | Mr. Mareshki got his start in business — as did many wealthy men across Eastern Europe — in the tumultuous shift to capitalism in the early 1990s. |
| He started out delivering pharmaceuticals to hospitals, and when private pharmacies were allowed, he decided to give that a try. “I had this idea that if you were a pioneer in an industry, that is the way to success,” he said. | He started out delivering pharmaceuticals to hospitals, and when private pharmacies were allowed, he decided to give that a try. “I had this idea that if you were a pioneer in an industry, that is the way to success,” he said. |
| So in 1992, he opened his first Mareshki pharmacy in Varna. Now, he has more than 350 branches all across the country. | So in 1992, he opened his first Mareshki pharmacy in Varna. Now, he has more than 350 branches all across the country. |
| “His name is on all his drugstores,” Ms. Dimitrova said. “Mareshki, Mareshki, Mareshki. You see it everywhere. Like Trump, Trump, Trump.” | “His name is on all his drugstores,” Ms. Dimitrova said. “Mareshki, Mareshki, Mareshki. You see it everywhere. Like Trump, Trump, Trump.” |
| But where Mr. Mareshki has been different is in structuring his businesses as an expression of his populism. He makes a point of selling medicines — especially those needed most by older Bulgarians on meager pensions — at cheaper prices than other chains, proving, he says, that a pharmaceutical cartel is ripping off consumers. | But where Mr. Mareshki has been different is in structuring his businesses as an expression of his populism. He makes a point of selling medicines — especially those needed most by older Bulgarians on meager pensions — at cheaper prices than other chains, proving, he says, that a pharmaceutical cartel is ripping off consumers. |
| “I do not just promise, like other politicians,” Mr. Mareshki said. “I act. I do. I have proven it is possible to have cheaper medicines.” | “I do not just promise, like other politicians,” Mr. Mareshki said. “I act. I do. I have proven it is possible to have cheaper medicines.” |
| He is trying to do the same thing for gasoline. In late 2015, he opened his first filling station with prices a few cents cheaper than others. Long lines formed. | He is trying to do the same thing for gasoline. In late 2015, he opened his first filling station with prices a few cents cheaper than others. Long lines formed. |
| “I didn’t need to expand my business into another sector,” Mr. Mareshki said. “But I was sick and tired of seeing the cartels robbing Bulgarians.” | “I didn’t need to expand my business into another sector,” Mr. Mareshki said. “But I was sick and tired of seeing the cartels robbing Bulgarians.” |
| Now, he has a dozen stations across the country under the name VM Petroleum (he did not call them Mareshki, he said, because he may want to expand to other countries). A huge new one — to include a hotel, restaurants and other amenities — is under construction on the outskirts of Sofia and will be “one of the largest gas stations in the world,” he said, sounding particularly Trumpian. | Now, he has a dozen stations across the country under the name VM Petroleum (he did not call them Mareshki, he said, because he may want to expand to other countries). A huge new one — to include a hotel, restaurants and other amenities — is under construction on the outskirts of Sofia and will be “one of the largest gas stations in the world,” he said, sounding particularly Trumpian. |
| This being Bulgaria, where corruption and conspiracy theories have deep roots, suspicions surround Mr. Mareshki’s sudden rise. Those have been deepened by a series of scandals that have made him a familiar figure in the Bulgarian news media, along with his predilection for fancy cars, sprawling villas and private jets. | This being Bulgaria, where corruption and conspiracy theories have deep roots, suspicions surround Mr. Mareshki’s sudden rise. Those have been deepened by a series of scandals that have made him a familiar figure in the Bulgarian news media, along with his predilection for fancy cars, sprawling villas and private jets. |
| He has been accused of strong-arming other pharmacy owners into buying from his drug distribution company, threatening to open one of his cut-rate stores nearby if they refuse. He was accused of striking a City Council member in Varna and of building his Varna villa on public land without proper permits. | He has been accused of strong-arming other pharmacy owners into buying from his drug distribution company, threatening to open one of his cut-rate stores nearby if they refuse. He was accused of striking a City Council member in Varna and of building his Varna villa on public land without proper permits. |
| None of these accusations have resulted in a conviction, though investigations do tend to drag on in Bulgaria. Mr. Mareshki paints this as the establishment trying to silence him. | None of these accusations have resulted in a conviction, though investigations do tend to drag on in Bulgaria. Mr. Mareshki paints this as the establishment trying to silence him. |
| “Both I and my business suffer from this kind of resistance from the cartels, and the whole corrupt state has come after me,” he said. | “Both I and my business suffer from this kind of resistance from the cartels, and the whole corrupt state has come after me,” he said. |
| The three largest objects in Mr. Mareshki’s spartan office are an overflowing basket of fruit, a huge jug of water and the party’s official poster, which reads: “Will — a Project of Mareshki.” | The three largest objects in Mr. Mareshki’s spartan office are an overflowing basket of fruit, a huge jug of water and the party’s official poster, which reads: “Will — a Project of Mareshki.” |
| At the moment, Ms. Dimitrova said, Mr. Mareshki’s party is polling well enough that it is likely to qualify for seats in the new Parliament, perhaps becoming a coalition partner with whichever party comes in first. But Mr. Mareshki said that such common wisdom would be proved wrong once again. “I expect we will win,” he said. | At the moment, Ms. Dimitrova said, Mr. Mareshki’s party is polling well enough that it is likely to qualify for seats in the new Parliament, perhaps becoming a coalition partner with whichever party comes in first. But Mr. Mareshki said that such common wisdom would be proved wrong once again. “I expect we will win,” he said. |
| One thing he knows he must do if he wants to dominate Bulgarian political life is to appear more often in the news media, which he dislikes. That is one thing that sets him apart from Mr. Trump. | One thing he knows he must do if he wants to dominate Bulgarian political life is to appear more often in the news media, which he dislikes. That is one thing that sets him apart from Mr. Trump. |
| Mr. Mareshki shrugged. | Mr. Mareshki shrugged. |
| “We are not identical in every respect,” he said. | “We are not identical in every respect,” he said. |