Belitsa noted a sharp turnout in the turnout in the presidential runoff. By 4:00 p.m., nearly 30% of voters had gone to the polls – about five times more than in the first round, when just under 8% voted in the municipality.
The first people wishing to vote arrived minutes after the start of election day. “For a better future for Bulgaria, for the right person“, says Demir. Another voter states that his expectations are for there to be no war, for there to be food and for prices to decrease.
“Many changes need to be made in this country. We are pensioners, I have 45 years of experience and I have a minimum pension. We can't stand it“, says Nikolay.
More people in the sections
Members of section committees describe significantly greater interest in voting. “People are coming that I see for the first time, I didn't see them last Sunday“, says Ivo Ivanov, a member of the Electoral Commission.
According to Gergana Trichkova, also a member of the Electoral Commission, voters are calmer because in the runoff the choice is between two candidates. In the largest section in the municipality – the one in the village of Gorno Kraishte – there was even a queue of people waiting.
“The first voter came at 7.01, because he wanted to vote first, and he continued like that throughout the day with many, many more people“, says the secretary of the SIC Amira Dzhambazka.
Lyutovo: from two votes to 85
The most visible change is in the village of Lyutovo. In the first round, only two people voted there, and by 5.00 pm during the run-off, their number was already 85.
“I always vote. "It just didn't make sense to me to vote in the first round, that's why," explains a village resident.
Another resident stated that she believes there is pressure from political parties, but refused to specify how she feels it.
The first round in Belitsa took place against the backdrop of the arrest of mayor Radoslav Revanski, who is accused in an investigation of criminal conspiracy and influence peddling. On October 29, the Burgas Court of Appeal replaced his "detention in custody" measure with "house arrest." Revanski denies having committed a crime.
In the Belitsa municipality, election day is being held in 17 polling stations - in 7, voting is done with paper ballots, and in 10 with machines. High turnout was also reported in the other settlements. The final number of voters will become clear after the end of election day and the processing of the protocols.
Sources: bntnews.bg