Bulgarian presidential campaign advertising spending reaches 378,000 euros

As the October 25 presidential elections approach in Bulgaria, campaign advertising expenditures have risen significantly. Data from the Institute for Public Sphere Development shows that advertising contracts with 39 national and regional media outlets have reached a total value of 378,035 euros, an increase of approximately 116,000 euros compared to the first ten days of the campaign.

Spending is concentrated among the top candidates. The pair of Iliyana Yotova and Kiril Välchev leads with 94,496 euros in contracts, followed by Kostadin Kostadinov and Petar Volgin with 70,510 euros. The top five candidate pairs account for over 272,000 euros, or roughly 72% of the total reported spending. Other notable spenders include Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev, who have increased their advertising to 45,633 euros.

In terms of media recipients, TV Eurokom holds the highest value of contracts at 94,048 euros, followed by Bulgarian National Television (BNT) at 81,081 euros. TV Svobodna Bulgaria has attracted nearly 125,000 euros, representing about 29% of the total value for media packages.

Regarding the campaign schedule, a potential runoff debate between the two candidates who reach the second round is planned for October 29 on BNT. Emil Stoimenov, co-chairman of the initiative committee for Iliyana Yotova and Kiril Välchev, confirmed that Yotova has agreed to participate in the debate should they advance to the runoff.