Iliyana Yotova winning the presidential elections in the first round would be a surprise, because the conditions are very difficult. This was stated on the air of the Bulgarian National Radio by Yanitsa Petkova from the sociological agency "Myara".
"The fact that she declared herself first a month ago certainly works in her favor and puts her in a strong position, but she had no other choice. Yotova is in the spotlight and there was an expectation that she would do so.
According to the expert, this also puts the president in a situation for serious criticism.
"In Bulgarian society, in the last elections, we observed such hiding of candidates, in any type of majoritarian elections, including for mayor, so that negative news would not come out. This is with the general feeling of distrust and fear towards the parties.
But this does not mean that surprises are not possible for the presidential elections", said Petkova. "At the moment it is certain that Yotova has a strong position and "Progressive Bulgaria" also, as a party that supports her. And the victory will be of key importance for strengthening the positions."
According to Yanitsa Petkova, the initiative lies with the ruling party to set the agenda, not only the rules for the functioning of the state:
"They are in a situation in which they could easily make a mistake if they overdo it. Declaring victory is always serious."
The sociologist commented that despite the announcement of the ruling party's program, this reading "does not show anything that is surprising or sensational".
"Any exaggeration is usually not tolerated by Bulgarian society and would give rise to criticism from the opposition, which will become active in the coming days. Many things have happened in our country that are difficult to tolerate and bear. But it is usually the remarks that prevail over public opinion. The feeling of power creates the possibility of exaggeration. What we see around the announced program allows the government to cut off some criticism," she warns.