Judging by the statements of the leaders of GERB and the Bulgarian Socialist party after the first round of the local elections held in this country, it turns out that the main ruling party and the main oppositional party are satisfied with the election results. According to the leader of GERB and Premier of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov, his party scored a categorical victory over the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which proves that the country’s government is stable. Representatives of the socialist party, however, contend that after their weak performance in 2015 the socialists are back in the game.

It is still too early to draw final conclusions, because the official results are too meager and because run-off elections are yet to be held in may Bulgarian towns, cities and villages where the candidates for mayors failed to earn 50% of all votes at the first round.

Although GERB’s results at these local elections are weaker than the previous mayoral elections, it remains the most powerful political party in the big Bulgarian cities. The candidates nominated by GERB won at least 50% of the votes at first round in Burgas, Veliko Tarnovo, Vratsa, Gabrovo and Stara Zagora and in most district centers this political party earned bigger support than the candidates of other political parties which placed second and will compete with GERB’s candidate at run-off elections. This proves Premier Borissov’s conclusion that the country’s government is stable, because his political party dominated the district centers on the previous local elections.

GERB’s candidate for mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova earned 10% more votes than her main political opponent Maya Manolova, supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Meanwhile, Fandakova lost 100,000 votes at these local elections as compared to the elections in 2015. Run-off elections will be held in Bulgaria’s capital for the first time in many years and the socialists have a reason to be satisfied that Manolova will compete with Fandakova at next week’s run-off elections. Moreover, BSP will have more municipal councilors at the Sofia Municipal Council. The balance of powers between GERB and BSP is similar in other Bulgarian regions as well.

Traditionally, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms won the mayoral elections at the first round in the towns of Kardzkali, Kirkovo and Krumovgrad. MRF is the only political force apart from GERB whose candidate becomes mayor of district city at the first round, which means that this political party maintains stable positions.

VMRO is the nationalistic formation which scored highest results at the local elections. However, it performed below expectations at these elections and some representatives of VMRO are complaining about cases of vote buying. The candidate of VMRO for mayor of Sofia placed 5^th, but his political party does not accept these results as a failure, because it nominated a candidate for mayor of Bulgaria’s capital for the first time.

Some political observers and analysts comment that the 7^th local elections held in Bulgaria after the democratic changes in 1989 went without any sharp confrontations. We are to find out whether this impression will remain after the run-off elections on November 3. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov