PM Rumen Radev Says Bulgaria’s Presidential Runoff Will Be a Choice Between Peace and War

Prime Minister Rumen Radev described the election result as a cause for concern for society as a whole, while nevertheless congratulating President Iliana Iotova on her victory. He said many people had decided not to vote because the head of state’s powers had been reduced, leading to widespread demobilisation. According to Radev, many voters had stayed away from the polls yesterday because they believed the outcome had already been decided.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev: “The stakes in this election are clear – on Sunday, we will choose between peace and war, between democracy and the corrupt model of the ‘assembly’, between the calm truth and the hysteria of trolls. Every clear-thinking person understands this, but they must also show it at the ballot box. There is no room for complacency. Every election matters. Let us send the ‘assembly’ into oblivion on Sunday; let us vote for Iliana Iotova.”

The prime minister also criticised decisions made by Andrey Gyurov during his time as caretaker prime minister.

• CEC, with 99.94% of polling station protocols processed: Iotova and Gyurov head to a runoff on November 1

Prime Minister Rumen Radev: “I would like to congratulate Ms Iotova on her victory – a victory achieved amid unprecedentedly low voter turnout. I would also like to congratulate her for maintaining her dignity and refusing to become part of the extremely negative campaign that was constantly waged against her. These elections are a very worrying signal for our society as a whole. We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (WCC–DB), Peevski and GERB crippled the Constitution and led many people to believe that voting in these elections was pointless. Others believed the victory was a foregone conclusion and did not take part – there was not enough mobilisation.”