It is possible that the gap between the first and second candidates in the presidential elections can be shortened significantly in the case of a very low voter turnout. This was stated by political scientist Ivo Indjov to the Bulgarian National Radio on election day.
“A very low voter turnout can also bring a surprise“, said Indjov. In his words, the hard cores of “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“ are highly motivated to vote, which may affect the distance between the leading presidential candidate pairs.
Low turnout and lack of candidates from major parties
Indjov linked the low turnout to the sluggish election campaign and the fact that GERB and MRF are not participating with their own presidential candidate pairs. According to him, MRF's decision not to support a candidate in the first round, as well as GERB's lack of its own candidate, are among the reasons for the looming low turnout.
The political scientist admitted that some of GERB's voters may not go to the polls. He also noted that Andrey Gyurov has repeatedly sought support among these voters, but warned that such a move could prove controversial for “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“.
Two different positions on the war in Ukraine
According to Indjov, the main political opposition in the campaign is related to Bulgaria's geopolitical orientation and positions on the war in Ukraine. He defined as one line the position of the ruling party and the couple Iliyana Yotova – Daniel Valchev, and as another - the support of “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“ for Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kanev.
According to the political scientist, these foreign policy topics have difficulty mobilizing voters outside the hard party cores. He also drew attention to the fact that 27 presidential candidate pairs are participating in the presidential vote, which, according to him, further disperses the votes.
The runoff is scheduled for November 1
27 candidate lists are participating in the presidential and vice-presidential elections, with 20 nominated by initiative committees and 7 by political parties. If no pair receives the necessary majority at the required voter turnout, a second round will be held on November 1 between the two candidates with the most votes in the first round.
Indzhov stated that the final picture will become clear after the end of election day.
Sources: bnrnews.bg, segabg.com