Bulgarian presidential election, 2011
Encyclopedia
A presidential election was held in Bulgaria
on 23 October 2011, with a runoff held on 30 October 2011. No candidate won outright in the first round, resulting in a second round runoff between the eventual winner, Rosen Plevneliev
of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
, and Ivaylo Kalfin
of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
.
, Ivaylo Kalfin
, and Meglena Kuneva
were expected to have the best chance of reaching the second round. The candidates are:
delegation noted that whilst the election was conducted in a generally orderly and peaceful way, there remained concerns about a lack of a equal access to the media, blurred distinctions between newspaper editorials and political advertisements, the lack of a dedicated voter roll and the candidate registration system which particularly affected independent candidates. PACE also recommended that voting for expatriate Bulgarians should be improved. The OCSE
delegation also noted concerns about the blurred lines in media coverage, as well as vote-buying allegations, restrictions on using minority languages in campaigns, and inflammatory statements by some candidates.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
on 23 October 2011, with a runoff held on 30 October 2011. No candidate won outright in the first round, resulting in a second round runoff between the eventual winner, Rosen Plevneliev
Rosen Plevneliev
Rosen Plevneliev is a Bulgarian politician. He was Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from 2009 to 2011 as part of the cabinet of Boyko Borisov...
of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009....
, and Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin is a Bulgarian politician. A three-term deputy, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009...
of the Bulgarian Socialist Party
Bulgarian Socialist Party
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev....
.
Candidates
There are 18 registered candidates. Rosen PlevnelievRosen Plevneliev
Rosen Plevneliev is a Bulgarian politician. He was Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from 2009 to 2011 as part of the cabinet of Boyko Borisov...
, Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin is a Bulgarian politician. A three-term deputy, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009...
, and Meglena Kuneva
Meglena Kuneva
Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva is a Bulgarian and EU politician.Born in Sofia, Kuneva graduated in Law from Sofia University in 1981. In 1984 she became a Doctor of Law. She worked as a journalist for the Law Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio while being an Assistant Professor at Sofia...
were expected to have the best chance of reaching the second round. The candidates are:
| Party | Presidential candidate | Vice presidential candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Coalition Blue Coalition The Blue Coalition is a political coalition in Bulgaria, founded in early 2009 by center-right parties, most importantly Union of the Democratic Forces and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria... |
Rumen Hristov | Emmanuel Yordanov |
| Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National Union also tiranslated to English as Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union is a political party devoted to representing the causes of the Bulgarian peasantry. It was most powerful between 1900 and 1923. In practice, it was an agrarian movement... |
Nikolay Nenchev | Zheko Ivanov |
| Bulgarian Democratic Unity | Andrey Chorbanov | Angel Mirchev |
| Bulgarian Socialist Party Bulgarian Socialist Party The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev.... |
Ivaylo Kalfin Ivaylo Kalfin Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin is a Bulgarian politician. A three-term deputy, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009... |
Former Culture Minister Stefan Danailov Stefan Danailov Stefan Lambov Danailov is a Bulgarian actor and former Minister of Culture of Bulgaria .The first film Danailov has taken part was "The Traces Remain" being a child. At that time he did not want to be an actor. However, later in 1966 he graduated VITIZ... |
| Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009.... |
Rosen Plevneliev Rosen Plevneliev Rosen Plevneliev is a Bulgarian politician. He was Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from 2009 to 2011 as part of the cabinet of Boyko Borisov... |
Justice Minister Margarita Popova Margarita Popova Margarita Stefanova Popova is Bulgarian jurist, prosecutor, educator and former Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Boyko Borisov... |
| IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement The IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. The abbreviation IMRO references the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, a historic Bulgarian-established revolutionary political organization in the Macedonia and Thrace regions. IMRO – BNM's current... |
Krasimir Karakachanov | Daniela Dimitrova |
| Initiative committee | Meglena Kuneva Meglena Kuneva Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva is a Bulgarian and EU politician.Born in Sofia, Kuneva graduated in Law from Sofia University in 1981. In 1984 she became a Doctor of Law. She worked as a journalist for the Law Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio while being an Assistant Professor at Sofia... |
Lyubomir Hristov |
| Initiative committee | Dimitar Kutsarov | Kamelia Todorova |
| Initiative committee | Aleksey Petrov | Nikolai Georgiev |
| Initiative committee | Nikolay Vassilev | Vladimir Savov |
| Initiative committee | Svetloslav Vitkov | Ventsislav Mitsov |
| Initiative committee | Ventsislav Yosifov | Vladimir Slavov |
| National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria The National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria , is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria.-History:The party was established on May 17, 2011 year in sports hall Boycho Branzov in Burgas... |
Stefan Solakov | Galina Vasileva |
| National Movement Unity | Sali Ibrayim | Valentina Gotseva |
| National Union Attack National Union Attack The National Union Attack is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2009, it won 9.4% of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats... |
Volen Siderov Volen Siderov Volen Nikolov Siderov is a Bulgarian politician and chairman of the nationalist party Attack. He is famous for his hard-line attitude towards minorities in Bulgaria, especially Roma and Turks.-Early life:... |
Pavel Shopov |
| Order, Law and Justice | Atanas Semov | Polya Stancheva |
| Party for the People of the Nation | Pavel Chernev | Anelia Dimitrova |
| United People's Party | Maria Kapon | Nikolay Kisyov |
Conduct
The PACEParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
delegation noted that whilst the election was conducted in a generally orderly and peaceful way, there remained concerns about a lack of a equal access to the media, blurred distinctions between newspaper editorials and political advertisements, the lack of a dedicated voter roll and the candidate registration system which particularly affected independent candidates. PACE also recommended that voting for expatriate Bulgarians should be improved. The OCSE
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, human rights, freedom of the press and fair elections...
delegation also noted concerns about the blurred lines in media coverage, as well as vote-buying allegations, restrictions on using minority languages in campaigns, and inflammatory statements by some candidates.
Results
| Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Rosen Plevneliev Rosen Plevneliev Rosen Plevneliev is a Bulgarian politician. He was Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from 2009 to 2011 as part of the cabinet of Boyko Borisov... |
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009.... |
1,349,380 | 40.11 | 1,698,136 | 52.58 |
| Ivaylo Kalfin Ivaylo Kalfin Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin is a Bulgarian politician. A three-term deputy, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009... |
Bulgarian Socialist Party Bulgarian Socialist Party The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev.... |
974,300 | 28.96 | 1,531,193 | 47.42 |
| Meglena Kuneva Meglena Kuneva Meglena Shtilianova Kuneva is a Bulgarian and EU politician.Born in Sofia, Kuneva graduated in Law from Sofia University in 1981. In 1984 she became a Doctor of Law. She worked as a journalist for the Law Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio while being an Assistant Professor at Sofia... |
Initiative committee | 470,808 | 14.00 | ||
| Volen Siderov Volen Siderov Volen Nikolov Siderov is a Bulgarian politician and chairman of the nationalist party Attack. He is famous for his hard-line attitude towards minorities in Bulgaria, especially Roma and Turks.-Early life:... |
National Union Attack National Union Attack The National Union Attack is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2009, it won 9.4% of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats... |
122,466 | 3.64 | ||
| Stefan Solakov | National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria The National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria , is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria.-History:The party was established on May 17, 2011 year in sports hall Boycho Branzov in Burgas... |
84,205 | 2.50 | ||
| Rumen Hristov | Blue Coalition Blue Coalition The Blue Coalition is a political coalition in Bulgaria, founded in early 2009 by center-right parties, most importantly Union of the Democratic Forces and Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria... |
65,761 | 1.95 | ||
| Atanas Semov | Order, Law and Justice | 61,797 | 1.84 | ||
| Svetoslav Vitkov | Initiative committee | 54,125 | 1.61 | ||
| Sali Ibrayim | National Movement Unity | 41,837 | 1.24 | ||
| Krasimir Karakachanov | IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement The IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. The abbreviation IMRO references the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization, a historic Bulgarian-established revolutionary political organization in the Macedonia and Thrace regions. IMRO – BNM's current... |
33,236 | 0.99 | ||
| Aleksey Petrov | Initiative committee | 31,613 | 0.94 | ||
| Maria Kapon | United People's Party | 30,665 | 0.91 | ||
| Nikolay Nenchev | Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National Union also tiranslated to English as Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union is a political party devoted to representing the causes of the Bulgarian peasantry. It was most powerful between 1900 and 1923. In practice, it was an agrarian movement... |
9,827 | 0.29 | ||
| Pavel Chernev | Party for the People of the Nation | 8,081 | 0.24 | ||
| Ventsislav Yosifov | Initiative committee | 7,021 | 0.21 | ||
| Dimitar Kutsarov | Initiative committee | 6,989 | 0.21 | ||
| Andrey Chorbanov | Bulgarian Democratic Unity | 6,340 | 0.19 | ||
| Nikolay Vasilev | Initiative committee | 5,633 | 0.17 | ||
| Total valid votes | 3,364,084 | 100 | 3,229,329 | 100 | |
| Invalid/blank votes | 229,844 | 6.40 | 104,837 | 3.14 | |
| Votes cast | 3,593,928 | 100 | 3,334,166 | 100 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,873,589 | 52.29 | 6,910,491 | 48.25 | |
| Source: Electoral Commission of Bulgaria | |||||
External links
- NSD: European Election Database - Bulgaria publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990-2011