Ivaylo Mirchev expects wider support for Gyurov in the runoff

Ivaylo Mirchev expects support for the candidate of “Democratic Bulgaria“ Andrey Gyurov to expand significantly in the second round. In an interview with bTV, the MP said that the party had counted on more votes in the first round, including from GERB voters.

“Support for Mr. Gyurov is good. I believe that it can expand a lot in the second round“, said Mirchev.

Lack of debate and the role of GERB

According to him, the low voter turnout is also due to the absence of a public clash between the candidates. Mirchev recalled that Gyurov had repeatedly invited Iliyana Yotova to a debate, but a meeting between the two did not take place.

Mirchev admitted that the expectations were for a larger absolute number of votes for Gyurov. He stated that 13% of those who supported the candidate had voted for GERB in previous elections.

„We want to thank those people from GERB who understood that Mr. Gyurov should be supported“, said Ivaylo Mirchev.

According to him, GERB has not made an official decision in support of Gyurov, but some of the party's voters have supported him. Mirchev identified the key issue as whether the leader of the formation Boyko Borisov will call on his voters to vote for the candidate of “Democratic Bulgaria“.

Criticism of the government

In the conversation, Mirchev criticized the government of “Progressive Bulgaria“, pointing to inflation, security and budget policy. He stated that expectations for a drop in prices have not been justified.

“Progressive Bulgaria“ came and in six months this hope went to waste. Prices did not fall, prices became higher“, said Mirchev.

The MP also warned of a possible increase in the price of electricity from the beginning of next year by 10, 12 or 14 percent. He specified that prices are set by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, but the policy of the regulated market does not depend solely on the regulator.

Among other criticisms was the contract for the construction of 2.7 kilometers of the “Struma“ highway for 108 million euros. Mirchev described the amount as a record high price per kilometer and linked the contract to the promises of the ruling party to fight corruption.

The dispute over the role of the president

Mirchev said that Iliyana Yotova had not demonstrated sufficient independence from Prime Minister Rumen Radev. According to him, the head of state should be a corrective to those in power and react to problems with the budget, legislation and governance.

As an example, he cited Yotova's request for the resignation of the head of the National Security Service and Radev's decision to wait for the completion of the investigation into the case.

Sources: btvnovinite.bg