The runoff in Vratsa Region ended with a voter turnout of 26%, five percentage points higher than in the first round. Iliana Iotova and Kiril Valchev received three times more votes than the candidates who lost the presidential race in the region.
There were no queues at the polling stations in the cities, however. In some places, not a single voter turned up for hours. “We are waiting only for voters,” said Tsvetanka Gergovska, chairwoman of a sectional election commission.
Some people explained the low interest by the rainy weather and personal commitments. Members of a sectional election commission handed out sweets among the first voters. Voters who had not turned out in the first round also came to the runoff. Some of them openly declared their support for the woman in the presidential race.
Two Voters with Unusual Names
Among those who voted were two men whose names attracted attention even before they entered the polling station. Niki Kanchev has visual impairments and exercised his right to vote with the help of an accompanying person. Todor Zhivkov assisted him.
One is a livestock farmer, while the other is a train conductor. Asked how people react to his name, Todor Zhivkov replied: “A person makes the name, not the name the person.” According to him, the reactions vary—people are happy to see him, but sometimes he has also been beaten because of his name.
Niki Kanchev said that he knows his television and radio namesake. The two said they had gone to the polls hoping for more order and lower prices.
Six Reports of Vote-Buying
The Interior Ministry reported six cases of alleged vote-buying during the runoff in Vratsa Region. All of them were deemed unfounded.
Reports of election campaigning were also received. The most serious one concerned an allegation of campaigning at a nightclub in Vratsa hours before the polling stations opened, in favor of the winning presidential ticket. This report was also deemed unfounded.
Sources: btvnovinite.bg