- Borislav Ivanov
The Start of Bulgaria’s Election Campaign
On the 15th of October began the election campaign for president and vice president of Bulgaria. The date of the election itself is the 14th of November.
There are 23 registered candidates, which is the highest number of candidates since the fall of the communist regime. The previous record was 21 in both 1992 and 2016.
In order to get elected at the first round, a candidate has to win 50% or more votes. If this doesn’t happen, then a second round is held between the top two candidates.
The incumbent Rumen Radev is among the current candidates. Radev has been endorsed by Slavi Trifonov’s ITN party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the “Continue the Change” party, and the “Rise Up Bulgaria! We’re Coming” coalition.
The GERB-UDF coalition has backed the rector of Sofia University “Saint Clement of Ohrid”, Anastas Gerdzhikov. He is running together with Colonel Nevyana Miteva.
Democratic Bulgaria has endorsed Lozan Panov, who is the president of the Supreme Court of Cassation. He is running with Maria Kassimova-Moisset, a journalist.
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms has chosen its leader as its nominee - Mustafa Karadayı. His running mate is Iskra Mihailova.
The Volya party has also nominated its leader – Vesselin Mareshki, who is running with Polina Tsankova. He owns one of the largest chains of gas stations, as well as one of the largest and cheapest chains of pharmacies in Bulgaria.
The ultra-nationalist party of VMRO, led by Krassimir Karakachanov, has nominated Milen Mihov and Maria Tsvetkova for their candidates.
The highly controversial nationalist party of Ataka has also nominated its leader – Volen Siderov, who is running together with Magdalena Tasheva.
The leader of the ultra-nationalist and national-socialist party BNU-ND, Boyan Rasate, has been nominated as the party’s candidate, together with Elena Vatashka.
The Society of New Bulgaria has nominated Zhelyo Zhelev, who has the same name as the country’s first democratically elected president after the fall of the communist regime, who died in 2015. His running mate is Vesselin Belokonski.
The Russophile Party of the Revival of the Fatherland has nominated Nikolai Malinov and Svetlana Koseva.
The Patriotic Front has nominated Valeri Simeonov and Tsvetan Manchev.
The pro-Russian and nationalist Vuzrazhdane party has also elected its leader Kostadin Kostadinov, together with Elena Guncheva.
The Bulgarian Union for Direct Democracy has nominated Blagoy Petrevski and Sevina Hadjiyska.
Republicans for Bulgaria has nominated Goran Blagoev as their candidate, who is joined by Ivelina Georgieva.
Bulgarian Social Democracy has nominated Alexander Tomov and Luchezar Avramov.
Glas Naroden has also chosen its own leader as its nominee – Svetoslav Vitkov. He is curiously running with Vesselin Belokonski, who’s also running as Zhelyo Zhelev’s vice president , endorsed by the Society of New Bulgaria.
The Pravoto Party has nominated Maria Koleva and Gancho Popov.
The Bulgarian National Union, a far-right, ultra-nationalist, anti-semitic party, whose agenda is based on conspiracy theories about “globalism”, has nominated Georgi Georgiev and Stoyan Tsvetkov.
The independent candidates, who are nominated by an initiative committee, are:
Yolo Denev and Mario Filev.
Rossen Milenov and Ivan Ivanov.
Marina Mancheva and Savina Lukanova.
Luna Yordanova and Iglena Ilieva.
Tsveta Kirilova and Georgi Tutanov.