The support of young voters and the votes of the wavering emerged as key for the runoff between Iliyana Yotova and Andrey Gyurov. In a debate on Bulgaria ON AIR, Prof. Nikolay Ovcharov from Yotova's initiative committee and Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov from Gyurov's committee presented different views on who the support will be directed to in the second round.
Ovcharov defined the presidential elections as primarily majoritarian and stated that the support of citizens, not individual parties, should be decisive.
„In the second round, I count on the support of all Bulgarian citizens. I am not addressing this or that party at all“, he said.According to him, Yotova will not change Bulgaria's European orientation.
Dispute over the young and GERB voters
Lozanov predicted that Gyurov could expand his support among young people. He said that they are looking for a clear European direction for the country and pointed to disappointment with the “Borisov-Peevski“ model as a possible factor. According to him, this could also affect some of GERB voters.
Ovcharov rejected this possibility. He stated that he did not expect GERB supporters to vote for Gyurov due to the harsh criticism directed at the party and its representatives.
Differences on Russia, Ukraine and the role of the president
The two representatives also took opposing positions on the topic of Russia and Ukraine. Lozanov criticized Yotova for not distinguishing herself clearly enough from Rumen Radev. Ovcharov objected that she had already defined Russia as an aggressor, although she did not use, in his opinion, the “blatant manner” in which the topic was raised by her opponents.
The conversation also discussed the pardons carried out by Yotova. Lozanov stated that society has the right to assess the moral grounds for such decisions, while Ovcharov defended the procedure.
The return of Tsar Samuil's bones to Bulgaria during the election campaign also caused controversy. Lozanov described the event as an opportunity to campaign in favor of Yotova. Ovcharov called it an exceptional event for the country and stated that the candidate had no bearing on the decision to return the remains.
Sources: novini.bg