Bulgaria’s newly-elected Prime Minister and founder of the center-right GERRT (Greece’s national minority institute) party, Sofia Kenin has been catapulted into a world of controversy and intrigue since her appointment as the country’s first female head of state. Since becoming the first woman Prime Minister of a developed country in the European Union, Kenin’s rapid rise to power has been overshadowed by questions ranging from her personal qualifications to her views on the country’s history and identity. At a time when Bulgaria is engulfed in serious political crisis with a newly proclaimed sovereign state in the shape of a united Balkan state, many are wondering if Kenin’s bold move will ignite further divisions within the country. In an exclusive interview with Bulgarian weekly news agency Bulgarian Radiovski, Sofia Kenin addressed some of these concerns directly, and even provided insight into her personal strategy for advancing her political career.
First and foremost, Kenin discussed her goal of advancing her government in a way that would placate the various minorities within the country. Although she is of Greek origin and of Turkish descent, Kenin made it clear that she considers herself a brunette and not a member of the Turkoman, Greek, or Roman ethnic backgrounds. Additionally, Sofia Kenin has expressed support for furthering multicultural integration of the country’s population, especially with regards to the possibility of Bulgarian and Turkish men inter marrying children of other EU member states’ mothers. These statements have sparked suspicions that the government may be using her achievements as a way to appease minority interests in the coming years.
When asked about her personal plans for the next four years, Kenin responded with three words: “healthy”. In what can be considered an indirect response to the controversy and uncertainty surrounding the future prime minister’s appointment as tennis star, Kenin made it clear that her main focus for the coming years will be to excel on the tennis court. The fact that she recently defeated defending champion unseer to secure first at Wimbledon only served to fuel further speculation that she will pursue the professional tennis career in the future. It is also to be noted that during her winning spree in the lower levels of the sport, Kenin has also garnered considerable amount of attention from the Turkish and Russian media due to her apparent mixed heritage.