On October 29, Bulgaria woke up with a new political environment.
The first round of the municipal elections on October 28 changed the political status quo at both a national and a local level. Inevitably, all eyes were set on the elections in Sofia. The only surprise there was that Boiko Borissov won his second term without needing to go to a second round on November 4. Borissov won by taking 53.4 per cent of the votes. Second was right-wing candidate Martin Zaimov with 17.77 per cent and third was Brigo Asparouhov, candidate of the major partner in the ruling coalition, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). He got 15.48 per cent. Borissov’s victory meant that his recently formed party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) won majority in Sofia’s municipal council.
Borissov and GERB had more than one reasons for celebrating. Slavcho Atanasov, who is supported by GERB, won the elections for Plovdiv mayor, leaving the BSP candidate far behind him. GERB also scored a victory in Dobrich where Detelina Nikolova won the post. These results, among others, gave Borissov the confidence to declare GERB to be the main political force in the country, a statement questioned by BSP leader and Prime Minister Sergei Stansihev, who declared the BSP the winner of the elections even though no official BSP candidate won a major victory. Stanishev chose to describe the victory of Kiril Yordanov in Varna on the Black Sea as a BSP, although Yordanov stood officially as an independent candidate. The BSP’s defeat in Bourgas, where BSP nominee Yoan Kostadinov came third after GERB’s Dimiter Nikolov (42.66 per cent) and ultra nationalist Ataka’s Valeri Simeonov (22.84 per cent), and Asparouhov’s third place in Sofia, were not taken by Stanishev as sign of lack support for the BSP.
BSP leadership is pinning its hopes on the second round of the elections on November 4. Those who have chances of victory include the BSP candidate in Blagoevgrad (southern Bulgaria) Kostadin Paskalev. He got 26.53 per cent on the first round against the 28.26 per cent that went to right-winger Radoslav Taskov. The situation in Stara Zagora is similar. The BSP’s Evgenii Zhelev (44.80 per cent) will face GERB’s Svetlin Tanchev (34.40 per cent). The big loser in the election seems to have been the National Movement for Stability and Progress, a partner in the tripartite ruling coalition Cabinet. The NMSP failed to win in any major town, and their candidate for Sofia mayor, Antonia Purvanova, came fifth with 2.55 per cent. Despite this, NMSP leadership described the elections results as a success for them. The third partner in the ruling coalition, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), scored a predictable win in Kurdjali and its nearby towns and villages. The MRF traditionally represents Bulgarians of Turkish descent and commands stable support in areas populated by them.
Overall, 102 municipalities out of 264 elected mayors on the first round of the elections. The elections continued the trend of elections of recent years in inspiring only a low turnout. According to the Central Election Commission, the average turnout was 42.40 per cent.For right-wing parties, the only positive performance was that of Naiden Zelenogorski, who won a second term in Pleven.
Elsewhere in the country, right-wing candidates had little success. As for the new-comers to Bulgaria’s local politics, the so-called business parties and movements, none managed to win the post in any of the towns in the country, but they did manager to win seats in municipal councils. This helped them say what all parties said after the elections: that they have all won.
