Bulgaria's Ex President Stoyanov: Run-off Is Classic Left-Right Clash

Politics » DOMESTIC | October 27, 2011, Thursday // 10:22
Bulgaria: Bulgaria's Ex President Stoyanov: Run-off Is Classic Left-Right Clash Petar Stoyanov swore in as President of the Republic on 19 January 1997 and stepped down in 2002 after a defeat by currently outgoing Socialist President Georgi Parvanov. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's former President Petar Stoyanov, one of the emblematic figures of the Union of Democratic Forces and the country's transition to democracy, has described the upcoming run-off for head of state as a left-right face-off.

"I know the temptation to vote against the ruling center-right GERB party is quite strong in the right-wing circles, but these are presidential, not general elections. We are now faced with a classic political game - a representative of a party, member of Europe's right-wing, against a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party," Stoyanov, 59, said in an interview for 24 Hours daily.

Former Construction Minister Rosen Plevneliev, a 47-year-old technocrat, backed by the governing center-right GERB party of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, will face former Foreign Minister and member of the Socialist Party Ivaylo Kalfin in the second round of the presidential elections.

The run-off will be held October 30 after none of the candidates garnered more than 50 percent.

Stoyanov, who served as head of state 1997-2001, admitted that last Sunday, during the first round of the presidential elections, he has supported Rumen Hristov, vice-chair of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), candidate of the rightist Blue Coalition.

"I will be facing no dilemma as to whom to support in the second round too. Voting for a member of the Socialist Party is out of the question," he said.

"Besides, Plevneliev and Mrs. Margarita Popova seem to be honest, balanced and responsible people. I will vote for them."

He denied once again reports that he has considered joining the race for the presidential office on the ticket of the ruling party.

"The ruling party has never proposed me running for president on their ticket. And I am absolutely sure they have never had this intention."

Stoyanov's political career took a flying start in 1990 when he became UDF spokesman in the second-biggest town of Plovdiv only to be appointed two years later Deputy Minister of Justice in the first non-communist government of Bulgaria since 1944. He resigned in 1993 after the dismissal of the UDF government.

On 3 November 1996 Stoyanov was elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria by winning 2,502,517 votes equal to 59.73 % of the votes cast. He swore in as President of the Republic on 19 January 1997 and stepped down in 2002 after a defeat by current Socialist President Georgi Parvanov.

In February 2004 Stoyanov was nominated for right-wing leader of UDF, but gave way to Nadezhda Mihaylova. He took over UDF leadership in October 2005 after Mihaylova stepped down, citing lack of support as the main reason for her withdrawal.

Stoyanov resigned as party leader after UDF, once the dominant centre-right party in the country, failed to win a single seat in the European Parliament elections in May.

UDF has been in a steady decline since 2001, when the party lost the general elections following four years of needed, but painful reforms.

It never recovered from the shock, splitting into smaller parties since then, progressively losing ground in public opinion polls, which show it could fail to make it into the next parliament altogether.

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Tags: Ivaylo Kalfin, Rosen Plevneliev, Boyko Borisov, Bulgaria, elections, presidential, president, Georgi Parvanov, Petar Stoyanov, Margarita Popova

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