The election campaign for the second round of the presidential elections has not yet started. This was announced by the government press service after the briefing of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who called on voters to support Iliana Yotova.
“Let's vote for Iliana Yotova, so that Bulgaria is in safe hands“, Radev said. He congratulated Yotova on the result of the first round and criticized her opponent Andrey Gyurov, as well as the political forces that support him.
According to the government press service, the campaign for the runoff begins after the Central Election Commission announces the date of the second round and the candidates who will participate in it. The CEC must announce the results of the first round no later than 48 hours after the end of election day. According to bTV, this means that the procedure must be completed by October 27.
Yotova and Gyurov go to the runoff
The first round was held on October 25. With 100 percent of the protocols processed, the pair Iliyana Yotova – Kiril Valchev received 34.759 percent, and Andrey Gyurov – Georgi Kandev collected 31.952 percent of the votes, NOVA reported.
The runoff is scheduled for November 1. The campaign ends 24 hours before election day, and after the official announcement of the results of the first round, the draw for the order of the two candidates' addresses is expected to be made.
Report to the CEC about the Prime Minister's statement
Meanwhile, the initiative committee of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev has notified the CEC about the publication of Rumen Radev's statement through the official channels of the Council of Ministers. The report claims that the bans on election campaigning in a state institution and on free use of public administrative resources have been violated.
The initiative committee insists that the publications be removed and the responsible persons be identified. These allegations do not constitute an established violation. The decision on whether there is a violation of the Election Code is yet to be made by the CEC.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg, nova.bg, zashtoto.com