Bulgaria’s outgoing president heads for gains with anti-corruption campaign

Bulgarian incumbent Rumen Radev is heading for a second presidential term. Judging by the exit polls, he won 66% of the vote, well ahead of his challenger Anastas Gerdzhikov, who was backed by former center-right Prime Minister Borissov.

Last week there was also a vote for a new president. But because Radev did not obtain an absolute majority (49.4%), a second round of the elections was necessary.

The presidency in Bulgaria is mainly ceremonial. In political crises, when a president can appoint interim cabinets, the president is a key figure. It can also influence public opinion.

Two new elections

The elections took place against a backdrop of widespread discontent with corruption in the poorest country in the EU. They mark the end of Prime Minister Borisov’s 12-year reign in April.

then found parliamentary elections place, that Borissov with his center-right party GERB pint won, but because the country’s second and third parties refused to cooperate with him, new elections were held twice.

In the latest elections, held at the same time as last week’s presidential election, the anti-corruption party PP (“We continue to change”) won more than a quarter of the vote. Borissov came second with his party.

Corrupt politicians

Radev, a vocal critic of Borisov and a staunch supporter of the anti-corruption protests of the past year, has won over many Bulgarians who are fed up with corrupt politicians. He previously appointed two interim firms that exposed suspected cases of corruption in the industrial and financial sector.

“Let’s not give the past a chance to torpedo our future. Let everyone take 15 minutes today to vote so that we don’t waste time for the next five years,” Radev said while voting.