Bulgarian presidential election, 2011

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Bulgarian presidential election, 2011
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←  2006 23 October 2011 (first round)
30 October 2011 (second round)		 2016  →
Turnout 52.3% (1st round), 48.3% (2nd)

  BG President Rosen Plevneliev.JPG Ivaylo Kalfin.jpg
Nominee Rosen Plevneliev Ivaylo Kalfin
Party GERB BSP
Running mate Margarita Popova Stefan Danailov
Popular vote 1,698,136 1,531,193
Percentage 52.6% 47.4%
President before election

Georgi Parvanov
BSP

Elected President

Rosen Plevneliev
GERB

A presidential election was held in Bulgaria on 23 October 2011, with a runoff held on 30 October 2011. No candidate won outright in the first round, resulting in a second round runoff between the eventual winner, Rosen Plevneliev of GERB, and Ivaylo Kalfin of the Bulgarian Socialist Party. [1]

Bulgaria country in Southeast Europe

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country.

Rosen Plevneliev President of Bulgaria

Rosen Asenov Plevneliev is a Bulgarian politician who was the 4th President of Bulgaria from January 2012 to January 2017. He was the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from July 2009 to September 2011 as part of the cabinet of Boyko Borisov. In October 2011, Plevneliev was elected as President in a second round of voting; he was inaugurated on 18 January 2012.

GERB political party

GERB is a conservative, populist Bulgarian political party established on 13 March 2006. The initials of the party герб/gerb also translate as "coat of arms" in Bulgarian. It is Bulgaria's second-largest party by membership.

Contents

Candidates

There are 18 registered candidates. [2] Rosen Plevneliev, Ivaylo Kalfin, and Meglena Kuneva were expected to have the best chance of reaching the second round. [3] The candidates are: [4]

Meglena Kuneva Bulgarian politician

Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva is a Bulgarian and EU politician.

PartyPresidential candidateVice presidential candidate
Blue Coalition Rumen Hristov Emmanuel Yordanov
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Nikolay Nenchev Zheko Ivanov
Bulgarian Democratic Unity Andrey Chorbanov Angel Mirchev
Bulgarian Socialist Party Ivaylo Kalfin Former Culture Minister Stefan Danailov
GERB Rosen Plevneliev Justice Minister Margarita Popova
IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement Krasimir Karakachanov Daniela Dimitrova
Initiative committee Meglena Kuneva Lyubomir Hristov
Initiative committee Dimitar Kutsarov Kamelia Todorova
Initiative committee Aleksey Petrov Nikolai Georgiev
Initiative committee Nikolay Vassilev Vladimir Savov
Initiative committee Svetoslav Vitkov Ventsislav Mitsov
Initiative committee Ventsislav Yosifov Vladimir Slavov
National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria Stefan Solakov Galina Vasileva
National Movement Unity Sali Ibrayim Valentina Gotseva
Attack Volen Siderov Pavel Shopov
Order, Law and Justice Atanas Semov Polya Stancheva
Party for the People of the Nation Pavel Chernev Anelia Dimitrova
United People's Party Maria Kapon Nikolay Kisyov

Opinion polls

First round

  Qualifying for the second round
PollsterDate Plevneliev Kalfin Kuneva Siderov Hristov Semov Karakachanov Vitkov Others
Alpha Rissourch 20.09.201122.91411.12.42.41.51.30.643.8
TSAM 12.10.2016 30.816.19.82.33.10.31.5036.1
Alpha Rissorch 21.10.201121.516.49.53.82.20.90.7045

Results

e  •  d  Summary of the 2011 Bulgarian presidential election results:
CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Rosen Plevneliev GERB 1,349,38040.111,698,13652.58
Ivaylo Kalfin Bulgarian Socialist Party 974,30028.961,531,19347.42
Meglena Kuneva Initiative committee470,80814.00
Volen Siderov Attack 122,4663.64
Stefan Solakov National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria 84,2052.50
Rumen Hristov Union of Democratic Forces 65,7611.95
Atanas Semov Order, Law and Justice 61,7971.84
Svetoslav VitkovInitiative committee54,1251.61
Sali IbrayimNational Movement Unity41,8371.24
Krasimir Karakachanov IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement 33,2360.99
Aleksey PetrovInitiative committee31,6130.94
Maria KaponUnited People's Party30,6650.91
Nikolay Nenchev Bulgarian Agrarian National Union 9,8270.29
Pavel Chernev Party for the People of the Nation8,0810.24
Ventsislav YosifovInitiative committee7,0210.21
Dimitar KutsarovInitiative committee6,9890.21
Andrey ChorbanovBulgarian Democratic Unity6,3400.19
Nikolay VasilevInitiative committee5,6330.17
Total valid votes3,364,0841003,229,329100
Invalid/blank votes229,8446.40104,8373.14
Votes cast3,593,9281003,334,166100
Registered voters/turnout6,873,58952.296,910,49148.25
Source: Electoral Commission of Bulgaria

Two in one elections

The presidential elections were held in conjunction with local elections, saving the country BGN 8 million according to the finance minister Simeon Djankov. [5] The move to have "2 in 1" elections drew criticism from the US Ambassador in Sofia, James Warlick, who said that the move led to poor administration during the elections. [6]

Simeon Djankov Bulgarian politician and economist

Simeon Djankov is a Bulgarian economist. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria in the government of Boyko Borisov. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Simeon Djankov was a Chief economist of the finance and private sector vice-presidency of the World Bank. He was an associate editor of the Journal of Comparative Economics from 2004 to 2009. Djankov was a chairman of the board of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In 2013 he was appointed rector of the New Economic School in Moscow. He is also a member of the World Bank's Knowledge and Advisory Council, and a Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Since November 2015, Dr Djankov is policy director of the Financial Markets Group at the London School of Economics.

Controversies

MPs interfering with the ballot count

Two GERB MPs were photographed at the Sofia electoral commission amid the chaos that erupted at the Sofia commission right after the first round of presidential and local elections. [7] These two MPs were not authorized to be present at the electoral commission at that time: an offence under Bulgarian law. One of the GERB MPs, Stanislav Ivanov, was photographed carrying a large bag around the Sofia Electoral Commission building. This bag was presumably full of ballots. [7] The Central Electoral Commission held a meeting on the case but failed to reach a decision, because voting could not reach the required 2/3 majority. [7]

Universiada Hall crisis

Members of electoral committees were held without rest or sleep for 30 to 34 hours.[ citation needed ] Universiada Hall was not aired, was stunningly cold and members of committees were not given food and water, and not allowed to go outside the Hall to buy such.[ citation needed ] Journalists and observers were not allowed in Universiada Hall and a large region around it was slipped off with police until the next day late afternoon and early evening.[ citation needed ]

In the day of the elections and day after one member of Municipal Committee in Varna died, six ambulances arrived at Universiada Hall to assist fainted committee members,[ citation needed ] while the number of fainted man and women, and those suffering health problems during and after elections is not known, according to witnesses people were fainting in the Hall and at the queues for delivering elections protocols, and in the first lines at the committee members meeting in Universiada people were in constant fainted and wakening cycles condition because of lack of air, cold, malnutrition and exhausture. [8]

Varna Place in Bulgaria

Varna is the third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, the city has been a major economic, social and cultural centre for almost three millennia. Varna, historically known as Odessos, grew from a Thracian seaside settlement to a major seaport on the Black Sea.

People slept on floor, on bags with bulletins[ citation needed ] and even some left Universiada Hall unlawfully with taking the bulletins with themselves at home because of the poor conditions.[ citation needed ]

In the first announcement of the situation no politician or Central Committee member expressed any sorry or apology for it and party GERB said that the reason of this was the one-hour delay of the starting of the electoral day but in fact the starting of the electoral day was marked by no voters in the first 2 hours, while people was arriving at sections to vote around 8 am.[ citation needed ]

After the scandal of the situation of people still at Universiada Hall sparked in media, it was announced that committee members held there will receive 60 lv or 30 Euro more as a compensation for the long hours stay.[ citation needed ]

International statements

The PACE delegation noted that whilst the election was conducted in a generally orderly and peaceful way, there remained concerns about a lack of an equal access to the media, blurred distinctions between newspaper editorials and political advertisements, the lack of a dedicated voter roll and the candidate registration system which particularly affected independent candidates. PACE also recommended that voting for expatriate Bulgarians should be improved. [9] The OCSE delegation also noted concerns about the blurred lines in media coverage, as well as vote-buying allegations, restrictions on using minority languages in campaigns, and inflammatory statements by some candidates. [10]

Related Research Articles

Politics of Bulgaria

The politics of Bulgaria take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.

Bulgarian Socialist Party political party

The Bulgarian Socialist Party, known as the Centenarian, is a social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and the successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. It is a member of the Party of European Socialists with a pro-EU stance, although it has taken some euroskeptic positions and called for an end to EU sanctions against Russia. BSP is also a member of the Socialist International. It is Bulgaria's largest political party by membership.

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Tsvetan Tsvetanov Bulgarian politician

Tsvetan Genchev Tsvetanov is a Bulgarian politician and former government official. A former security deputy mayor of Sofia, he was, until 2009, the chairman of the GERB party. On 8 July 2009, in the wake of the 2009 parliamentary election won by his party, he was specified by de facto party leader Boyko Borisov as future Minister of the Interior.

Tsetska Tsacheva Bulgarian jurist and politician

Tsetska Tsacheva Dangovska is a Bulgarian jurist and GERB politician who is the current Minister of Justice of Bulgaria as part of the Third Borisov Government, having assumed office on 4 May 2017. She had previously held the position of Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria on two occasions. Tsetska Tsacheva is the first woman to ever chair the National Assembly of Bulgaria since its establishment in 1878.

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2014 European Parliament election in Bulgaria

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The Oresharski Government was the eighty-ninth cabinet of Bulgaria which took office on 29 May 2013. The government, led by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, is one of technocrats created following the 2013 election. The cabinet was dissolved on 6 August 2014 to make way for a caretaker government that would lead Bulgaria through early elections in October of the same year.

First Borisov Government

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Boyko Borisov Bulgarian politician

Boyko Metodiev Borisov is a Bulgarian politician who has been serving as the 50th Prime Minister of Bulgaria since 4 May 2017. He had previously held the post of Prime Minister on two separate occasions, from 2009 until 2013 and from 2014 until January 2017. He was also the Mayor of Sofia from 2005 to 2009.

2015 Bulgarian electoral code referendum

A referendum on introducing electronic voting was held in Bulgaria on 25 October 2015 alongside local elections. Although the referendum resulted was approved by a wide margin, turnout was far below the required threshold to make its result binding.

2014 Bulgarian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 October 2014 to elect the 43rd National Assembly. GERB remained the largest party, winning 84 of the 240 seats with around a third of the vote. A total of eight parties won seats, the first time since the beginning of democratic elections in 1990 that more than seven parties entered parliament. Boyko Borisov then became prime minister as head of a coalition with the Reformist Bloc and with outside support from the Patriotic Front and the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival.

Second Borisov Government

The ninety-first Cabinet of Bulgaria took office on November 7, 2014. It is a coalition government chaired by Boyko Borisov. The government was formed after the Borisov's party, GERB, won the 2014 parliamentary election. As GERB won 84 out of the 240 seats in the National Assembly, they were compelled to form a coalition to legally govern.

2015 Bulgarian local elections

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2016 Bulgarian presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Bulgaria on 6 November 2016, alongside a referendum on changes to the electoral system and political party funding. The second round was held on 13 November 2016, resulting in the victory of Rumen Radev.

Rumen Radev President of Bulgaria

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2017 Bulgarian parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 26 March 2017. They had originally been scheduled for 2018 at the end of the four-year term of the National Assembly. However, following the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the failure of Bulgarian parties to form a government, early elections were called. Borisov resigned following the defeat of Tsetska Tsacheva, the candidate of his GERB party, in the November 2016 presidential elections. The official election campaign began on 24 February.

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Bulgaria in 2021, although they may be held earlier if the office of President become vacated as a result of death, resignation or removal from office. The incumbent president, Rumen Radev, is eligible for re-election.

References

  1. ↑ Bulgarian ruling party candidate leads in presidential vote Archived October 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Business Week, 24 October 2011
  2. ↑ Candidate lists for President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria Electoral Commission of Bulgaria (in Bulgarian)
  3. ↑ Leading MEP runs for Bulgarian presidency Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Eurative, 19 July 2011
  4. ↑ GERB's Plevneliev has narrow lead in tight presidential race - poll The Sofia Echo, 18 September 2011
  5. ↑ "Bulgaria's '2 in 1' Elections Spared BGN 8 M - FinMin". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  6. ↑ "US Ambassador: Elections in Bulgaria Were Not Administered Well". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bulgaria Election Body Fails to Censure Ruling Party MPs for Interfering with Elections". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 20 February 2014.
  8. ↑ Video was broadcast in Bulgarian televisions where at the meeting of committee members in Universiada people are scanning 'mafia' because of the conditions Universiada Hall - BGNES, elections 2011 (video), YouTube, October 24, 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-26
  9. ↑ Bulgaria’s 2011 elections efficiently run, but with shortcomings – PACE The Sofia Echo, 24 October 2011
  10. ↑ OSCE positive about Bulgarian election but worried by vote-buying, media coverage The Sofia Echo, 25 October 2011
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