Sofia city council fails in third attempt to elect chairperson

At a third meeting on November 30, Sofia City Council failed to elect a chairperson. The voting took place in two stages - first and second round, both of which had a record number of spoilt ballots.

After tension arose at the beginning of the sitting of the city council, Boris Bonev, the candidate from “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” (Save Sofia) said that today the group will not put forward a candidate and called on his colleagues from the other parties to do so and elect a chairperson.

GERB-UDF, the second largest group, did not take part in the voting for the election of the chairperson of the Sofia City Council.

Three people were nominated for the post:

• Diana Tonova from BSP
• Krasimir Galabov from “Vazrazhdane”
• Plamen Danailov from “There is Such a People”

After the first round of voting, 27 of the 45 votes cast were invalid. Diana Tonova from BSP and Krassimir Galabov from “Vazrazhdane” got 7 votes each and went to the second voting, while four councillors voted for Plamen Danailov from “There is Such a People”.

40 municipal councillors from the 61-seat council voted in the second round. The valid ballots were only 15, of which 8 votes for Diana Tonova and 7 for Krassimir Galabov.

The support of 31 councillors is required in order to get a chairperson elected.