07 novembre 2007
New chairperson of Svishtov’s Municipal Council is from CEDB
| 7 November 2007 | 16:52 | FOCUS News Agency |
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Svishtov. The newly elected chairperson of the Municipal Council in the town of Svishtov is from Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB), Radio FOCUS-Veliko Tarnovo informed. Ivan Haralambiev got 16 votes at the first round of the ballot. The other candidate Assoc. Prof. Stoyan Prodanov from coalition “For Svishtov” got 13 votes. |
Boyko Borisov: Ahmed Dogan is the only politician, who tells the truth
| 6 November 2007 | 08:44 | FOCUS News Agency |
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Sofia. There is no politician in Bulgaria other than Ahmed Dogan, because this man always tells the truth. During the press conference after the elections he was the only one to evaluate the change, which has happened to Bulgaria, the leader of the political party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria /CEDB/ and a Mayor of Sofia Boyko Borisov said in an interview for BTV. |
FROM THE EDITOR: Changes
If the municipal elections are taken as a massively expensive and elaborate public opinion poll, a number of conclusions may be extrapolated.
First, voter turnout remained a low, a trend established some years ago, and confirmed in the 2003 municipal elections, 2005 parliamentary elections, 2005 special mayoral elections, 2006 presidential elections and Bulgaria’s European Parliament elections earlier this year. This trend has been ascribed to many things, of which the factors that stand out are fatigue with the politics of transition, disillusionment with the cavalier attitude that Bulgaria’s political elite displays towards ordinary people, and the public perception that whoever is nominally in power, the country is controlled from behind the scenes by powerful business interests.
Second, and linked to the above, it is notable that none of the parties associated with the first decade or so after the fall of communism did especially well, even though the performance of Martin Zaimov in Sofia has been read as evidence that the seemingly long-spent impetus of what used to be the Union of Democratic Forces could again be revived, if only the right-wing could learn to put aside their petty personal squabbles. In 2007 Bulgaria, the parties that stabilised post-1997 Bulgaria and put it on the road to macro-economic stability and European Union membership were shown scant respect by voters.
Third, and not insignificantly, the spectre of ultra-nationalism that stalked the land in the form of Ataka, and produced an apparent upward growth curve in the 2005 parliamentary and 2006 presidential elections, appears to be fading. In only one city of any significance did Ataka reach the second round, even though it should be noted that some of its voter base may have transferred their allegiance to strongman Boiko Borissov, even though few of his messages are the same as those of Ataka – in fact, all he has in common with them is a contempt for the current governing tripartite coalition.
Further, two worrying trends persist and may even have worsened in the conduct of elections. The first is the risks associated with ethnic mobilisation. As Ataka conjured up one form of this evil, so again we have seen voters brought in by the busload in an obvious mobilisation on ethnic lines. Also disturbing were the widespread allegations of the purchasing of votes, not only a sad spectacle that people cared so little for their democratic rights that they were prepared to part with them for cash, but also that there was a candidate who saw nothing wrong in handing out money and other financial incentives to recruit support. It is to be hoped that Bulgaria, as an EU member and as a state not of the kind where international monitoring should be required to ensure a free and fair election, cracks down effectively on such abuses.
Finally, it is important to consider the meaning of the three parties that did the best. As noted above, one mobilised – as it has long since done – its electorate on ethnic and religious lines. Of the other two, one long-established and the other a recent phenomenon (at least as a formal political party), both have track records of making promises that, for one reason or another, have not been kept. In time, and now that we are one step closer to the 2009 parliamentary and European Parliament elections, their current support may be eroded by further disillusionment, and by the start of the next decade of the 21st century, a further reshaping of the political landscape may prove inevitable. All that may be extrapolated with certainty is that the medium-term future holds further changes.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/from-the-editor-changes/id_25892/catid_27
MP Eleonora Nikolova: Ivan Kostov split right wing
| November 2007 | 11:38 | FOCUS News Agency |
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Sofia. Ivan Kostov was the one who split the right wing, Eleonora Nikolova, independent MP, said, FOCUS News Agency informs. According to her the leader of Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) was the one who ‘ shattered the model of the right union’ and added that he was in no position of giving advice. |
04 novembre 2007
Bulgarians Vote in Local Elections Run-offs
Bulgarians are heading to the polls Sunday to cast their ballot in a runoff vote in the fifth local elections since the fall of communism in 1989. Polls opened at 6 am local time and are due to close at 7 pm local time.
Mayors would be elected at the run-offs in a total of 33 districts, 1,243 mayoralties and 162 municipalities.
In Bulgaria's seaside city of Burgas as well as in many of the bigger cities, mayoral candidates failed to garner more than 50% for an outright win and will face rivals in the second round of the local vote.
In Burgas, GERB candidate Dimitar Nikolov faces nationalist party Ataka's runner Valeri Simeonov on Sunday.
In Blagoevgrad, the common candidate of the rightist and nationalist formations Radoslav Taskov leads after the first round of the elections with 28.26% of the votes. He is followed by the socialist candidate Kostadin Paskalev (26.35%).
The incumbent Rumen Rashev gained 30,53% of the votes in Veliko Tarnovo and sees socialist nominee Ivan Manchev at the run-offs.
GERB runner Rumen Vidov has garnered 40.52% securing the first place in Vidin. The incumbent Ivan Tsenov is his rival in the run-off.
In Vratsa, the run-off battle is between Voyslav Bubev and GERB candidate Totyo Mladenov.
A second round is also held in the town of Kustendil, where the right-winger Petar Paunov faces off against the socialists' representative Ivan Karakashki.
Run-off will be held in the town of Lovech, where the socialist candidate Mincho Kazandzhiev has gained a lead over the main rival, backed by GERB Party, Anatolii Yordanov, 41.26% and 16.87% respectively.
In northern city of Russe the leader after the first round is the independent runner Bozhidar Yotov (46.15%) ahead of Vanyo Tanov from GERB (23.09%) and the run-off was inevitable.
In Pazardzhik, some 100 south of Sofia, socialist candidate Ivan Evstatiev is the front-runner with 32.58% followed by Todor Popov (27.02%).
Sliven in central Bulgaria witnesses world-famous soccer star, incumbent Yordan Lechkov (37.42%) and socialist Martin Slavov (17.19%) as rivals in the run-off.
The town of Razgrad has candidate Denchop Boyadzhiev (42.93%) competing with Nasko Atanasov (35.73%).
Stara Zagora's incumbent Evgenii Zhelev fights against GERB runner Svetlin Tanchev, who claimed 44.8% and 32.4% respectively at the first round.
In Targovishte, the lead at the first round of the local vote has been taken by Krassimir Mirev (40.7%). He now faces off against Svetlan Petkov (38.63%) at the run-off.
The citizens of the Shumen and Yambol are also casting ballots at a second round.
Under Bulgaria's election law the run-offs are held when none of the runners manages to receive more that half of the valid votes. Then the first two candidates that gathered most of the valid votes on the first round take part in the run-off.
Preliminary results will be available 90 minutes after the end of the voting day.
Bulgaria has banned the use of mobile phones and cameras in polling booths in a bid to prevent the widespread practice of vote-buying.
Mobile phones and cameras are believed to be a key element in the scams, producing the evidence that the vote has been cast for a designated candidate by taking a picture of the ballot paper.
A sign will remind voters that the use of mobile phones and cameras is banned upon entering the polling both.
The Central Election Committee said it relies on the voters' good will to leave the devices before casting a ballot.
Bulgaria's parliament passed last week an amendment that criminalizes the selling of votes and provides for up to one year in prison. Buyers of votes face up to three years in jail.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=87129
03 novembre 2007
INSIGHT: MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS FIRST ROUND: Reactions
Sergei Stanishev, Prime Minister and leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
The results of the elections are a clear success for the BSP.
We all saw that the scenario which some people predicted did not happen, and there will not be early elections for Parliament. The BSP is the prime political force in the country with 21 per cent of the votes at national level. I would advise Boiko Borissov to take off his rose-tinted glasses and see the reality, because, as we saw, his party GERB is not the phenomenon that the National Movement for Stability and Progress (formerly known as National Movement Simeon II) was in 2001. I acknowledge the defeat in Sofia, but we have to bear in mind the personal charisma of Borissov here, and his candidate Slavcho Atanasov in Plovdiv (who won on the first round the same as Borissov). However, I can say that the BSP continues to be the party that has the most prepared people in the country. We all know that during the elections campaign the teachers were on strike, which created an unusual environment. The Government survived a no-confidence vote based on the strike, which once again showed that there is no chance of an early election, and the municipal elections have not changed this. In the end we achieved what we were aiming for. Ask yourself how many parties had managed to achieve such a result in elections in the middle of their term of office.
As for BSP candidate (in Sofia) Brigo Asparouhov, I want to thank him for having the courage to face one of the most, if not the most, popular politician in the country, Boiko Borissov. I want to say I am not disappointed in Asparouhov. He fought a difficult battle in a city where the BSP has never had major support and I am thankful for that.
To me, the elections showed some very negative tendencies. One is the “trade in votes”, an example of which we have shown in Varna on the Black Sea. The Interior Ministry has received plenty of reports of such activity, where people have been promised, and in some cases given, money in exchange for their support. The other tendency is people with Bulgarian citizenship living permanently in neighbouring countries, voting in Bulgaria – the so-called called election tourism. I have plenty of data about buses from Macedonia arriving for the elections in Blagoevgrad and Sandanski.
Brigo Asparouhov, BSP candidate.
Sofians made their choice and I am sure that within some time they will realise that it was a wrong choice. One of the reasons for my third place was the ongoing silent war between BSP leadership and the BSP unit in Sofia. Someone must take the responsibility and I think it is time for resignations. As for me, from now on I will be dealing only with my personal matters.
Boiko Borissov, winner of the elections for Sofia mayor and leader of GERB.
My win is a tribute to our performance and is indicative of the fact that Sofians did not succumb to shallow statements but believed in our pragmatic programme for Sofia’s development. It is recognition of my work in the past seven years and I want to thank Sofians for the trust. I understand that this is a big responsibility.
GERB won the highest number of votes in the country more than 596 696, while the BSP got 512 230. This means that our political project is gaining popularity and I will be building a party that is set to outlive me.
As for the BSP, I can tell them to stop hiding behind the so-called independent candidates and admit their loss. The elections showed that Sofia is a right-wing city and the change in the country can start here. Soon people from other cities in Bulgaria will see the reality. I am aiming at neither the prime ministerial or presidential posts but I would relinquish my mayoral post should GERB win a mandate in Parliament. I see this not as deserting the mayor’s office, as the right-wing Martin Zaimov put it, because I cannot see how one could desert in favour of a more demanding post.
This elections were very important for GERB because we had to identify ourselves. Because of this, I am glad that Stanishev sees us as their main opponent. I am also glad that we have beaten the joint right-wing candidate in Sofia by three to one, which identifies us as the major right-wing party. As for the rose-tinted glasses, I want to remind you that I don’t even wear them, while Stanishev does. If he wants to save his party, he should call an early election, but we know that this will not happen because some current MPs will not win seats in the next Parliament. I want to say that I am open to co-operation with the other right-wing parties in Sofia’s municipal council.
Ahmed Dogan, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
It would very improper if we say we are not satisfied that with our performance at the elections.
These elections were very different from all the previous ones. Here we had the pragmatic element or the benefit a voter could get from mayors and municipal councillors. I expected GERB to have more than 50 per cent of support at national level, but this did not happen, and I see no threat to the ruling coalition. If we thoroughly analyse the situation, we will see that GERB has not grown substantially since the MEP elections this May. However, there is no doubt that GERB is now a true political force. As for the right-wing, I see very positive things. The candidacy of Martin Zaimov was a real step towards the revival of the right-wing parties. The teachers’ strike was among the main reasons for the BSP loss in Sofia. I want to say some words on the idea that was supported by National Movement for Stability and Progress about making voting compulsory in order to limit the so called ethnic vote. I see no problem in MRF supporting a referendum on the issue but be careful: it might turn that the MRF is the biggest party in Bulgaria for the next 50 years. I mean it.
Martin Zaimov, candidate of the right-win Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB).
I see my second place at the elections as a real success for the right-wing people in Sofia. Bearing in mind the attitude Bulgarians have towards politics, I consider my result as really positive. I want to say that I will be the next mayor of Sofia after two years when the next elections for Parliament are scheduled… Boiko Borissov has a reputation of deserting one post after another. I had honest promises and ideas, and when I become mayor after two years, I will stick to them. Personally, I do not see a bright future for Borissov’s newly formed party and I can tell you I will be a true opposition to Borissov in the municipal council. I will always support a good initiative if it is for the benefit of Sofians, but I will never work with Borissov as political allies. As for the BSP, I think the party has a good future ahead of it but people such as Asparouhov are an insult to its supporters. For the right-wing people in Sofia, Asparouhov’s nomination was cynicism.
Plamen Yuroukov, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces.
Zaimov’s result is very good for the right-wing. The UDF won on the elections because we brought back the hope of the right-wing supporters that something big is on the way to happening. We at the UDF showed that political struggles are now behind us and I think that the DSB also sees how vital our alliance is for the right-wing people. I think that Zaimov was a true joint right-wing candidate.
As for Boiko Borissov’s success, Borissov has been working for this win for seven years.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/insight-municipal-elections-first-round-reactions/id_25906/catid_5
Bulgarian interior ministry tightens measures against vote-buying
| 3 November 2007 | 20:31 | FOCUS News Agency |
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Sofia. One day prior to the runoff of the Bulgarian local elections the Ministry of Interior has tightened measures against vote-buying and numerous specialized operations have been undertaken. The ministry has received a number of alarms for vote-buying, ministry spokesman Yavor Simov said, as cited by BTV. |
Electoral commission, interior ministry have not been alarmed of whatever abuse on reflection day
| 3 November 2007 | 16:35 | FOCUS News Agency |
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Sofia. The Bulgarian Central Electoral Commission has not been alarmed of whatever abuse on the day of reflection, Saturday, commission’s spokesman Biser Troyanov announced, as cited by FOCUS News Agency. The commission has observed other notices – of a withdrawn member of polling station and of irregular ballot count. |
ONE THIRD OF BULGARIA’S MUNICIPALITIES TO APPEAL THE ELECTIONS
Elections in 70 to 80 municipalities might be appealed because of numerous reported violations, Civic Initiative for Free and Democratic Elections (CIFDE) warned on November 2 2007.
If the elections were appealed, the municipalities in question might remain without mayors for the next couple of months, CIFDE said as quoted by mediapool.bg.
CIFDE chair Iliya Bozhinov said that he expected attempts to annul election results. Municipal authorities were a profitable business. The profit from one mayor’s post ‘purchase’ was a 100 per cent, while the benefit from investment in tourism was 10 per cent, he said.
CIFDE had 6400 observers in various municipalities in the first round of the elections. They revealed numerous violations, the most popular of which was vote-buying. Some members of the election commissions were changed with people completely unprepared for the work resulted in an unprofessional approach towards the job.
Some five per cent of the election commissions had made mistakes in counting votes and had adjusted the results, CIFDE said.
Central Election Commission (CEC) said there were no grounds for the election results to be appealed. There had been no miscounting of valid votes, only errors in the numbers reported by election commissions, which had no effect on the final results. Being in a hurry, the election commission members filed the numbers in the wrong places, CEC said.
At the same time, Iliyana Iotova, Member of the European Parliament from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), told private channel NOVA that according to signatures, 420 673 people voted for a mayor of Sofia, but according to the number of ballots cast, the number of the voters was less than 397 700. BSP said they would wait for parallel counting of the votes and may demand a second counting Sofia.
Leader of the Democratic Party Alexander Pramatarki said that these elections were suspicious and his party would demand their annulment.
The country vote in Bulgaria
The results of the October 28 municipal elections around the country produced a generous helping of food for thought for political analysts. As predicted, the municipal elections produced a picture different to that carved by the 2005 parliamentary elections. “New portraits” can be seen in some of the major Bulgarian towns such as Bourgas, Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Turnovo and Kurdjali.
Varna – shock and relief
Most Bulgarian-language media set aside little space for the expected first-round win of current Varna mayor Kiril Yordanov. Yordanov was considered a near-certain winner for a third consecutive term, and he did not disappoint, getting 53.42 per cent of the vote. The real news was about second place, which went to a local businessman and owner of a chain of drug stores, Vesselin Mareshki. He got 13.18 per cent, with Dimo Gyaurov, candidate of the right-wing parties, coming third with 10.34 per cent.
For the past three weeks, Mareshki became a symbol for aggressive and arrogant election campaigning, mixed with cheap populism and disregard for any established rules of political behaviour. His name appeared on national TV when police began investigating him two weeks before the elections. Mareshki was alleged to have given pensioners discounts on purchases from his pharmacies in exchange for pledges of support. The real shock came when Mareshki confirmed that he had done so, and saw nothing wrong in it. The Prosecutor-General’s office took a different view, and started an investigation, which is still proceeding. A few days before the elections, Mareshki once again secured precious time on all national TV channels. He was shown handing out 100 leva notes to teachers in his office. He said that he would give 100 leva to every teacher currently on strike for increased salaries in exchange for their support. Mareshki promised each a further 500 leva if he won. Mareshki won seven per cent of the votes for municipal council seats. This gives him third place in the council after GERB and the BSP, which got 13.51 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.
Bourgas, not of Yoan
The 12-year rule of Yoan Kostadinov in Bourgas ended on October 28. Once considered invincible as the mayor of the Black Sea city, Kostadinov did not make it to the second round of the elections on November 4. Bourgas is one of the few major cities in Bulgaria that will have a second round. Those who go to vote will have a choice between candidates from two relatively recently-formed parties.
These candidates are Dimiter Nikolov (42.66 per cent) of Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov’s party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), and face Valeri Simeonov (22.84 per cent) of the ultra-nationalist Ataka party. Kostadinov, supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, got just 16.35 per cent, followed by local businessman Vaklin Stoinovski with 13.09 per cent. Pundits commented that long-standing parties had failed in the region, given that both Nikolov and Simeonov were nominated by parties with less than three years of history behind them. GERB was established formally last December, while Ataka appeared on the scene in April 2005. Bearing in mind GERB’s strong performance in other parts of the country, including Sofia, Nikolov’s place in the first round was little surprise. Simeonov’s result was a different case.
Provisional results a few hours before the end of the elections day gave Kostadinov a slight lead over both Simeonov and Stoinovski, but the official results published on October 30 gave the ticket for their second round to Simeonov. As The Sofia Echo previously reported, Simeonov, who was best man at Ataka leader Volen Siderov’s 2006 wedding, entered the race as Siderov’s personal favourite. Simeonov is owner of cable TV channel Skat, on which Siderov has a 15-minute daily show. Most political analysts said that Nikolov would win the second round, but Simeonov was not to be underestimated. His first-round result was described by Siderov as Ataka’s best performance at these elections, and there is no doubt that Ataka will put every effort into the second round.
In terms of municipal councillors, GERB and Ataka can be pleased. GERB gets 14 out of the 51 seats and Ataka 13. BSP’s just five seats in the council has made its loss a really humiliating one. The days that the city could be considered BSP territory are over.
Kurdjali – an easy ride to victory
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) scored one of its easiest wins in Kurdjali, with its candidate Hassan Azis winning a second consecutive term at the first round of the elections with 61.51 per cent. Second was Nikola Pashinov from the right-wing Political Club Trakia. Before the elections, all parties expended futile effort in trying to come up with a joint candidate against Azis. The MRF victory also brought a majority in the municipal council, with 58.94 per cent of the votes. Pashinov’s party took 24.40 per cent with GERB winning just 6.75 per cent.
As in other cities with many Bulgarians of Turkish descent, the elections in Kurdjali did not go without complaints from the losing sides, that the MRF had relied on the ethnic and religious vote. Pashinov’s party asked for new elections to be held, citing their own investigation that more than 9000 people with Bulgarian citizenship but living in Turkey had been driven to Kurdjali for the elections by the MRF. This, according to Pashinov, was a violation of the law, because most of those 9000 voters had not lived permanently in Bulgaria for the past six months as the law requires. Interior Ministry data showed that more than 8000 people in buses had crossed the border with Turkey on the eve of the elections, a number far higher than any other day of the year.
Plovdiv – the personal touch
Like Sofia, Plovdiv chose its mayor at the first round. Slavcho Atanasov became Plovdiv’s new mayor, winning 53.65 per cent of the votes. Second was Zahari Georgiev, BSP leader in Plovdiv. Atanasov’s win is unique in Bulgarian politics because the main party behind him is the small-scale nationalistic Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (IMRO). Never in its history has IMRO had a mayor of a town of the scale of Plovdiv. Atanasov was embraced by GERB as well, but no one can deny that Hristov was a true IMRO candidacy. What adds to Atanasov’s uniqueness is that all political scientists said that his win actually had little to do with the overall policy of IMRO. Like Boiko Borissov in Sofia, Hristov bet on his personal popularity, not that of the party. Atanasov entered the race as mayor of one of the town’s neighbourhoods, Trakia, and as such had the benefit of being well known among Plovdiv citizens. His relatively young age and the distance he has kept from the traditional parties served him well. Some might say that Atanasov won because the right-wing Ivan Chomakov decided not to stand for a second consecutive term and the traditionally right-wing orientated Plovdiv citizens were faced with a choice between Atanasov and BSP’s Georgiev, but the performances of the two right-wing candidates, Spas Garnevski of the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (3.22 per cent) and Nikolai Karaivanov of the Union of Democratic Forces (3.33 per cent) left no doubt that Atanasov’s win was well deserved. In terms of municipal councillors, IMRO and GERB won the most seats, followed by the BSP.
http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/the-country-vote-in-bulgaria/id_25902/catid_5