Bulgarian political figures react to presidential election first-round results

Following the first round of presidential elections in Bulgaria, political figures have offered varying assessments of the results. Delyan Dobrev, a former GERB deputy, stated that the party’s decision not to field a candidate was beneficial, suggesting that a GERB candidate might have won and potentially split the vote.

Other political leaders provided different perspectives on the election dynamics. Krum Zarkov, Chairman of the BSP, characterized the vote as a ‘clash of hard cores’ and noted that low voter turnout should be considered when analyzing the percentages. Meanwhile, Radan Kanev of Democratic Bulgaria described the campaign as a significant mobilization of voters seeking a pro-European political course, despite what he termed a divisive campaign by the acting president.

The election results, based on parallel counts from various sociological agencies, show a close race between the leading candidates. The next stage of the election will be a runoff to determine the new head of state.