The first round of the presidential elections in Bulgaria is among the foreign policy news for Austrian media today.
The APA news agency reports in a material from Sofia that the incumbent President Iliana Yotova came out on top in the first round despite a record low voter turnout and the need to compete in a second round against former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. The agency also notes the surprisingly small percentage difference between the two candidates.
Yotova was supported by the sole ruling center-left party “Progressive Bulgaria“ of the pro-Russian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, as well as from the traditionally Russophile Bulgarian Socialist Party, APA writes.
Her opponent Andrey Gyurov, a pro-Western former caretaker prime minister and former deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, receives the support of the opposition party “We Continue the Change“ and the liberal-conservative coalition “Democratic Bulgaria“, the agency reported and cited comments by Bulgarian political observers on election night.
Is former Prime Minister Borisov a decisive factor, APA asked in a subtitle and emphasized that political observers explain the historically low voter turnout mainly with the behavior of the second largest parliamentary party GERB of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, which for the first time since its founding in 2009 did not nominate its own candidate.
The information focuses on the statements of the two main contenders for the post. Gyurov warned that the country is facing a choice for its future development and there is no need for concentration of power, referring to Yotova's political proximity to the ruling center-left party “Progressive Bulgaria“ of pro-Russian Prime Minister Radev, the information says.
In her address to the media, Iliana Yotova, a former socialist member of the European Parliament, said that she wanted the support of all social strata in order to “finally reject oligarchic rule“. With these words, she repeated the main message of her predecessor and current Prime Minister Radev, who won an absolute majority in the early parliamentary elections in April, using the same political argument, APA reported.
"The presidential elections symbolize the deep division that Bulgaria - a member of the EU and NATO - has been in for years: a constant confrontation between the desire for closer integration with the West and historically deep-rooted pro-Russian attitudes. Yotova opposes the supply of weapons to Ukraine and insists on a quick peaceful solution. Gyurov, for his part, rejects making decisions without the participation of the European Union and Ukraine. Both candidates declare their support for Bulgaria's membership in the EU and NATO, APA summarizes.
“Runoff will determine Bulgaria's head of state“, under this title the news channel of the Austrian Radio and Television reported on the results of the elections in Bulgaria, which took place with extremely low voter turnout with a small percentage difference between the first and second candidates, President Iliana Yotova and her opponent, former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, contrary to all sociological surveys.
The information indicates that it is not clear how the votes of the voters whose candidates have dropped out of the race will be distributed in the second round and which voters will manage to further mobilize the two contenders in their favor in the second round.
The electronic edition of the daily “Standard“ briefly notes that “pro-Russian President Yotova narrowly wins the first round of the presidential election, but will have to participate in a second round.