Only two people voted in the Beli village of Lyutovo in the first round of the presidential elections. 158 people were registered on the electoral list, which makes the turnout a little over 1 percent.
Until 17:00, not a single ballot had been cast in the section. After that, two members of the section election commission exercised their right to vote, so the ballot box did not remain empty. The data was quoted by NOVA and is also reflected in the published results for election day.
The chairwoman of the commission Asya Ortseva described the situation to BNT with the words: „There are 158 on the list, but no one will vote. It's 3:00 p.m., no one will vote... There is a boycott to let our mayor go.“
Low turnout also in Belitsa municipality
The case in Lyutovo fits into the overall picture in Belitsa municipality, where 610 people out of nearly 8,000 voters voted. The municipality is among the places with the lowest voter turnout in Blagoevgrad region, along with neighboring Yakoruda.
The vote in Lyutovo was conducted only with paper ballots, so the low number of voters is not related to the use of a voting machine.
Mayor's arrest cited as a possible reason
The recent arrest of Belitsa mayor Radoslav Revanski, who is also the deputy chairman of the MRF, has been cited as a possible motive for the boycott. NOVA presents this connection as a possible explanation for the residents' refusal to participate in the vote, rather than as an officially established reason.
Low turnout was also reported in the neighboring villages of Babyak and Kuzyovo. However, in Lyutovo, the result of two votes became the most extreme example of non-participation on election day.