site.btaUPDATED Exit Polls: Vassil Terziev Wins Sofia Mayoral Elections, GERB Loses Varna but Keeps Plovdiv

Vassil Terziev will be the new Sofia mayor after winning the mayoral runoffs in the Bulgarian capital, according to exit polls. Nominated by a coalition of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and Save Sofia, he took a lead over his opponent Vanya Grigorova, the candidate of a BSP-led coalition, the exit polls of Alpha Research, Gallup International Balkan and Trend show.

The results could change as the figures from the parallel count start coming out.

Appearing briefly and alone outside his campaign HQs 30 minutes after the end of the voting day, Terziev thanked everybody who backed him and those who voted, and said his team will be holding a news conference on Monday when the official results are out. He would not say whether he was speaking as a winner.

At a brief news conference shortly after the elections, Vanya Grigorova and her team would not concede defeat and looked hopeful for a turnaround. “We still hope and we believe that freedom is a reach away,” Grigorova said. The leader of the Sofia chapter of BSP, Ivan Takov said his organization believes that “we will be able to push through our ideas during this mandate”.

At 32.2%, voter turnout in Sofia was lower than in the first round of voting a week ago when 36.2% went out to cast their ballot, according to Alpha Research.

Runoffs were held in 19 regional capitals. In two important battles, GERB lost the Black Sea city of Varna to the CC-DB candidate but kept the second largest city of Plovdiv after its candidate won by a big margin over the CC-DB nominee.

Following are the first exit poll results, by city and polling agency:

Sofia  

Alpha Research:

Vassil Terziev (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria - Save Sofia)  49.7%

Vanya Grigorova (BSP-led coalition) 43.8%  

Gallup International Balkan:

Terziev 51.4%

Grigorova 44.3%

Trend:

Terziev 51.9%

Grigorova 43.4% 

Plovdiv  

Trend:

Kostadin Dimitrov (GERB) 53.4%  

Ivaylo Staribratov  (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria):  41.1%  

Gallup:

Dimitrov 52.8%  

Staribratov 41.5% 

Market Links:

Dimitrov 51.5%  

Staribratov 39.1% 

Varna  

Trend:

Blagomir Kotsev (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) 48.9%

Ivan Portnih (GERB)  45.1%

Gallup International Balkan:

Kotsev 49.7% 

Portnih 44.9%

Market Links:

Kotsev 48.9% 

Portnih 43.4%

Blagoevgrad  

Gallup International Balkan:

Metodi Baykushev (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) 49.5%

Ilko Stoyanov (independent backed by GERB) 48.1%

Market Links:

Baykushev 48.0%

Stoyanov 47.7%

Veliko Tarnovo  

Alpha Research:

Daniel Panov (GERB) 51.4%

Yordan Terziiski (Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria) 41.2%

Ruse  

Trend:

Pencho Milkov (BSP) 60.5%

Ivan Ivanov (GERB) 33%

Alpha Research:

Milkov 62.2%

Ivanov 30.7%

Pleven

Trend:

Valentin Hristov (GERB) 61.8%

Georg Spartanski (nomination committee) 32.5%

Haskovo  

Alpha Research:

Stanislav Dechev (GERB) 60.3%

Nikolay Stavrev (independent backed by Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, BSP and Here We Come):  34.6%