Initial polls suggest incumbent President Ruman Radhev won by a two-thirds majority in the second round of Bulgaria’s presidential election on Sunday, according to Reuters and AFP news reports.
With strong anti-corruption messages, Roman Rodev (58) received 64-66% of the vote with the support of the Socialists and several opposition parties, while his rival, Anastas Kertzikov (58), was backed by the center of former Prime Minister Poyko Borisov. -The right-wing GERB party received 32-33 percent of the vote, according to opinion polls conducted by Alpha Research and Caleb International.
The turnout in this election was very low.
In Bulgaria, the president plays an excellent ceremonial role, but provides a solid platform to influence public opinion.
Rodev, a former commander of the Air Force, became famous for his outspoken support for the widespread anti-corruption campaign against Pogo Borisov in 2020, citing evidence cited by Agerpres.
For his part, Anastas Kertzhikov, rector of Sofia University, accused Radhev of being hostile to the Bulgarians. He vowed to reunite the country, which has been particularly hard hit by the Covid 19 epidemic and the crisis caused by rising energy prices.
Author: Liviu Kojan