Iliyana Yotova's victory in the presidential runoff rearranges political positions, and the low voter turnout remains the main negative conclusion from the vote. This was commented on by sociologists Parvan Simeonov from “Measure“ and Boryana Dimitrova from “Alpha Research“ in the studio of “The Day Begins“ on BNT.
With 99.95% of the protocols processed, Yotova and Kiril Valchev receive 57.58% of the votes. Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev received 39.47% of the votes. Thus, Iliyana Yotova became the first woman elected president of Bulgaria.
„The bad news is the low turnout. When elections are not two in one, it turns out that presidential elections do not generate the kind of interest they deserve. We have an elected president with a clear result, a woman for the first time“, said Parvan Simeonov.Concentration of power positions
Boryana Dimitrova emphasized the political weight of the result. In her words, „Progressive Bulgaria“ already holds all the key positions in the state.
According to her, the victory puts the ruling party in a position that requires an answer on how it will use the accumulated influence. The sociologist did not determine the direction of development in advance, but outlined two possible scenarios - more dialogue or additional concentration of power resources.
What is behind the result
Parvan Simeonov linked the mobilization of voters with the active participation of Rumen Radev and the clearly stated opposition between “peace“ and “war“. According to him, Iliana Yotova has positioned herself as a president of peace, and this formula has also attracted votes from social groups that traditionally support “Vazrazhdane“.
After the elections, the two analysts also discussed the political future of Andrey Gyurov. Simeonov described him as a “new star“ in the democratic space and allowed him to create his own project, participate in future local elections or become a new link between “We continue the change“ and “Democratic Bulgaria“.
Boryana Dimitrova assessed the support of about 750,000 votes as an opportunity for the democratic community to expand its public weight and gain a new perspective for development. However, she warned that this vote cannot automatically be accepted as a permanent personal electorate for Gyurov.
“It is not about a homogeneous community that stands behind him. There are voices from different political parties here“, Dimitrova emphasized.Parvan Simeonov also drew attention to possible future tension between the presidential institution and the government, despite their belonging to the same political formation. This is one of the questions that will show whether the election result will lead to closer coordination in power or to new political rifts.
Sources: bntnews.bg