Voters in Bulgaria are casting their ballots again on Sunday in a run-off presidential election.
The first round of voting held last weekend failed to produce a clear winner, with none of the candidates able to secure more than 50% of the vote.
Who are the presidential candidates?
President Rumen Radev, a former fighter pilot, secured 49% in the first round and is considered the frontrunner.
Radev has the backing of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and is a fervent critic of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
Borissov is the leader of the center-right GERB party which has battled allegations of corruption.
Radev has in the past sought to maintain close ties with Russia, but he seems to have turned around perceptions that he is pro-Russian. “Radev is no longer considered a Moscow man,” Gallup analyst Parvan Simeonov said.
Radev’s opponent, independent candidate Anastas Gerdzhikov, received only 23% of votes in the first round.
Gerdzhikov is rector of the University of Sofia and is backed by Borissov’s conservatives. The academic is a strong supporter of the country’s Western alliances and supports reforming the country’s judiciary and wants to improve the business environment.
Election seen as critical for fight against corruption
Some are of the opinion that a win for Radev may bring about a level of political stability.
There’s also a strong feeling that the vote will determine the way the country will tackle corruption.
“This vote is a clash between two visions: the soft tolerance of endemic corruption and the firm opposition to a model of governance that uses public power for private purposes,” political science professor Antoniy Todorov from the New Bulgarian University wrote.
kb/sri (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
Bulgarians vote in run-off presidential elections
Source: Pinoy Pop News
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