Bulgaria’s 2019 local elections: Most cities head to run-off in mayoral elections
Eighteen, or possibly 19, cities in Bulgaria are heading to run-off mayoral elections on November 3 after first-round votes did not produce decisive winners.
Mayoral elections in nine cities in Bulgaria on October 27 produced clear winners, while final results are awaited to determine whether a run-off will be required in the Black Sea city of Varna.
The cities where a second-round vote will certainly be held, based on Central Election Commission figures as at 1pm on October 28 with all or close to all ballots processed, are Sofia, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad, Vidin, Dobrich, Lovech, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Rousse, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Turgovishte, Shoumen and Yambol.
The run-off elections are held between the two candidates who got the most votes at the first round.
The contests, with the first-found voting percentages for each candidates, will be between:
Blagoevgrad: Atanas Kambitov (GERB) 25.65 per cent and Roumen Tomov (local coalition) 20.5 per cent.
Vidin: Ognyan Tsenkov (GERB) 32.23 per cent and Tsvetan Tsenkov (UDF local coalition) 30.41 per cent.
Dobrich: Yordan Yordanov (Movement for Citizens local coalition) 41.22 per cent and Nadezhda Petkova (GERB-UDF) 29.46 per cent.
Lovech: Kornelia Marinova (GERB) 28.82 per cent and Radina Bankova (Bulgarian Socialist Party) 26.3 per cent.
Pazardzhik: Todor Popov (Novoto Vreme) 44.72 per cent and Blago Solov (BSP) 18.9 per cent.
Pernik: Vyara Tserovska (GERB) 40.59 per cent and Stanislav Vladimirov (BSP) 39.98 per cent.
Pleven: Georgi Spartanski (initiative committee) 37 per cent and Miroslav Petrov (GERB) 30.12 per cent.
Plovdiv: Zdravko Dimitrov (GERB) 36.15 per cent and Slavcho Atanassov (VMRO-NFSB) 16.15 per cent.
Razgrad: Dencho Boyadzhiev (BSP) 25.38 per cent and Valentin Vassilev (GERB) 24.36 per cent.
Rousse: Pencho Milkov (BSP) 35.16 per cent and Diana Ivanova (GERB) 25.13 per cent.
Silistra: Yuliyan Naidenov (GERB) 48.51 per cent and Momchil Nekov (BSP) 29.02 per cent.
Sliven: Stefan Radev (GERB) 48.47 per cent and Kolyo Milev (BSP) 24.33 per cent.
Smolyan: Nikolai Melemov (GERB) 39.84 per cent and Stefan Sabrutev (BSP) 21.46 per cent.
Sofia: Yordanka Fandukova (GERB) 36.68 per cent and Maya Manolova (independent, BSP-backed) 27.35 per cent.
Shoumen: Lyubomir Hristov (GERB) 32.35 per cent and Ventsislav Venkov (BSP) 22.02 per cent.
Turgovishte: Darin Dimitrov (GERB) 48.43 per cent and Hamid Iliyazov (Movement for Rights and Freedoms) 37.36 per cent.
Yambol: Valentin Revanski (Direct Democracy) 40.18 per cent and Katya Georgieva (BSP) 21.54 per cent.
