MOUTHPIECE FOR MAYOR
Valeri Simeonov, owner of cable TV channel Skat, is ultra-nationalist party Ataka’s candidate to be mayor of Bourgas. Skat is based in Bourgas and Ataka leader Volen Siderov has a 15-minute daily show on it. Simeonov was best man at Siderov’s wedding. If Simeonov wins the post then the entire team of Skat would move to municipal headquarters because two Skat TV hosts, Valentin Kasabov and Stoyan Ivanov, are standing as candidate municipal councillors.

WOMEN CANDIDATES
Antonia Purvanova and Yuliana Doncheva will be the only two women standing as mayoral candidates in Sofia. Purvanova has been nominated by the National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) and Doncheva by an alliance of three parties, Novoto Vreme, Gergyovden and Agrarian Union. Purvanova is an NMSP MP and Doncheva a former TV host of fashion shows, a former fashion model and a former NMSP MP.

POLLSTERS SAY
A survey among 1011 Sofia residents by the Barometer Info polling agency said that current mayor Boiko Borissov would win on the first round of the October 28 elections. Second will be Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) candidate Brigo Asparouhov followed by Slavi Binev from Ataka. Right-wing Martin Zaimov comes fourth. In Plovdiv, the winner will be Slavcho Atanasov, who is supported by Borissov’s GERB party. The BSP candidate will place second. In Varna, according to the poll, there will be a second round with GERB’s Svilen Karichev against current mayor Kiril Yordanov, supported by the BSP.

‘I LOVE SOFIA’
Right-wing candidate for Sofia mayor Martin Zaimov will soon start a massive online campaign, Zaimov told reporters on September 18. He listed three priorities for Sofia: safer, cleaner and free of traffic. “I love Sofia” will be Zaimov’s motto for the campaign.