Petar Vitanov of 'Progressive Bulgaria': After Tomorrow, Bulgaria Will Be More Stable and Calmer

The chairman of the parliamentary group of 'Progressive Bulgaria', Petar Vitanov, expressed satisfaction with the initial exit poll results. He expressed confidence that after the presidential election, Bulgaria will be more stable and calmer. He thanked all members of the public who had gone to the polls despite the bad weather and a campaign marked by smear material. According to him, voter turnout had risen significantly, and support for Iliana Iotova was sufficient to guarantee the legitimacy of the election.

“I would like to thank everyone who came out and voted today, despite the bad weather and the dirty, mudslinging campaign, which was full of smear tactics and discouraged many people from voting. I believe that after tomorrow, Bulgaria will be more stable and peaceful,” Vitanov said.

He described the increase in voter turnout as a success and emphasised the importance of the presidential institution.

“After all, we increased turnout by nearly a third, which is unprecedented in the entire democratic history of the country. I think there have only been two occasions when turnout was higher in a second round, and this time it was almost 10 percentage points higher. I believe we succeeded in mobilising people and making them realise that, although some consider the president’s role to be merely representative, it is extremely important, and a large proportion of people have recognised this,” he commented.

Responding to criticism of the low voter turnout and doubts about the legitimacy of the next president, Vitanov pointed out that the preliminary results showed support from more than one million people.

“The gap between the first- and second-placed candidates will probably be greater than the one between President Plevneliev and Kalfin, perhaps even greater than the gap between Presidents Zhelev and Vulcanov. So I believe there is sufficient reason for us to have an absolutely legitimately elected president,” Petar Vitanov said.