Bulgarian Analysts: Rightist Electorate Will Swing to Ruling Party GERB

Bulgarian analyst Evgeniy Dainov has claimed that it was not apathy and a lack of trust in their politicians that led to low voter turnout at Sunday’s mayoral elections.

He commented on radio on Monday that a victory by over 2:1 was a crushing blow. This referred to the winning margin of GERB candidate Yordanka Fandakova – who gained 66,23% - compared to runner-up Georgi Kadiev of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), who received 27,71% of the vote.

“The truth is very simple’” he commented. “People are convinced that the main problem that took them out to vote on July 5 [editor’s note - the Bulgarian parliamentary elections] has been solved - BSP [the Socialists] and DPS [ethnic Turkish party] were removed from power, the country is in the hands of others, who do things differently.”

"Those who voted did so, I am convinced, not so much in support of programs for the development of Sofia, but to finish the business started in the summer. All the people I spoke to, who were going to vote or had already voted, had a clear political agenda: to knock the stuffing out of the communists", he added.

Sociologist Boriana Dimitrova commented. "Let's not forget that it is matter of partial elections; there is not the same type of urgency as there is with regular elections, where political forces participate more actively. Not to forget that in Sofia where there is a traditionally string right wing, the right wing did not have a candidate.”

Dainov also reckoned that “with increasing national support for GERB, with the increasing component of anti-communist rhetoric on the part of the government, the Blue electorate is approaching a time of re-orientation. The moment will come when voters will ask themselves why not vote for GERB instead of following the scandals of the right wing.”

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