site.btaSocialist-backed Candidate Wins Presidential Runoffs in Bulgaria, Prompts Government Resignation

Socialist-backed Candidate Wins Presidential Runoffs in Bulgaria, Prompts Government Resignation

Sofia, November 13 (BTA) - The Socialist-backed Rumen Radev won the second round of presidential elections in Bulgaria on November 13, according to exit polls. Polling agencies announced that he leads with close to 60 per cent of the votes against some 35 per cent for the candidate of the ruling GERB party, Tsetska Tsacheva.

Addressing a news conference immediately after the exit polls were out, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that he would resign, as promised, on the first working day of Parliament after the elections. "The results show that the ruling coalition lacks a majority. It it is unable to carry through reforms or even pass the budget for next year," the Prime Minister said.

He said that GERB definitely want snap general elections.

The Prime Minister started off by cogratulating the winners in the elections, the Socialist-backed Roumen Radev and his running mate Iliyana Yotova. He also thanked all the people who supported the GERB candidate.

He went on a more bitter note, congratulating the Right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgria (DSB) "who did their best to see this happen".

DSB walked out of the Reformist Bloc which is part of the government coalition, and refused to ask the supporters of its presidential candidate, Traicho Traikov, to support Tsacheva.

Borissov also congratulated those who voted for Radev "because now we have a new political situation".

He said those who accuse him of pushing the country into a political crisis, are wrong. "I see a new majority has taken shape: the Socialist party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DSB and others. They can form a government of their own and run the country for the next two years."

Borissov also said that it now appears that a Grand National Assembly must be convoked. "Obviously something is wrong with the political class the way it is now," he said adding that he can see many mistakes GERB has made "but it is learning from its mistakes".

GERB's presidential candidate, Tsetska Tsacheva, had only a couple of sentences to say after the Prime Minister. She congratulated the winner in the presidential election and said her biggest opponent in the elections was people's political apathy.

Taking a reporter's question, she said she might resign as Parliament Chair after an analysis of the election outcome but added this is something she will have to discuss with her parliamentary group first.

The exit polls and turnout

The first exit poll results of the different polling agencies as announced at 8 p.m. on voting date are as follows:

Alpha Research
Radev 58.1 per cent
Tsacheva 35.3 per cent

Market Links
Radev 58.23 per cent
Tsacheva 35.25 per cent

Gallup
Radev 58.5 per cent
Tsacheva 35.7 per cent.

Just under 7 per cent of the voters on Sunday chose the "None of the above" option on the ballot.

The exit polls also showed a turnout of 47-48 per cent.

Radev practically doubled his result from the first round.

According to Alpha Research, he won over 11per cent (220,000 votes) from the presidential candidate of the United Patriots, Krassimir Karakachanov, and 10 per cent (200,000 votes) from independent candidate Plamen Oresharski, who was backed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

Analysts commented that Bulgasria is in for a special situation in which the President is not allowed to disband Parliament in the last three months of his tenure but he is required to appoint a caretaker government.

What the analysts had to say

Following are the highlights of comments by political and social analysts in the studios of the Bulgarian National TV, Nova TV, bTV and the national radio:

Ognyan Minchev:
With these results, a government resignation is inevitable.

Yuri Aslanov:
What happened will have very serious repercussions in Bulgaria's political life. The ruling majority is coming apart but it is important how this happens. There are two scenarios. In one we have a political crisis. In the other we have a civilized and constitutional way, in which the political players do not allow escalation of tensions in society.

Andrei Raichev:
The era in which Boyko Borissov tells what happens in this country has ended, this is a fact,

A peculiar constitutional situation has emerged in that "outgoing President Rosen Plevneliev may not disband Parliament but must appoint a caretaker cabinet". The worst would be to have two interim governments, one appointed by [outgoing President] Plevneliev and one by President-elect Radev.

Kuncho Stoichev:
I do not mean that Borissov is leaving the political stage. On the contrary, GERB is a string party and will most likely perform well at the next general elections.

Boris Popivanov:
The elections put paid to the famous charisma of Borissov, but not to his political future. The election outcome showed that Borissov is unable to steer reputation onto other figures. His word is no longer enough to mobilize the nation. Borissov can act as a very good balancing figure among different political forces but he is no longer the person whom people are ready to follow anywhere.

The big difference between the two candidates comes because the Bulgarians looked for change and found it embodied in the figure of Radev.