Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Lyutvi Mestan. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria’s former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov “admitted his defeat” at the country’s general election by requesting that the results of Sunday’s vote be cancelled, according to liberal party leader Lyutvi Mestan.
Borisov, whose center-right GERB party narrowly won the election, surprisingly announced Thursday that GERB will appeal to the constitutional court and seek the cancellation of the election due to “a gross violation of the law in the day before the vote."
Borisov claimed that his party's chances had been damaged by allegations that it was about to commit voting fraud.
Mestan, the leader of predominantly ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, said that Borisov’s claim of being the election winner is “irreconcilable” with his request to void the elections.
“GERB indeed lost the election and we should all read the vote of the people correctly,” Mestan told the Bulgarian National Radio.
Results from the May 12 early general elections show that four Bulgarian parties made their way to Bulgaria's Parliament.
They are: the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, GERB, party of former Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, the ethnic Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS, and their self-proclaimed arch enemies - the far-right nationalist Ataka (Attack).
According to the final count, GERB + Ataka will have together 120 seats and DPS + BSP – another 120 in the 240-seats unicameral Parliament.
GERB has 30.50% of the vote, BSP – 26.61%, DPS – 11.29%, and Ataka – 7.30%.
The number of MP seats each of the four parties have won are as follows – 97 for GERB, 84 for BSP, 36 for DPS, and 23 for Ataka.
Former prime minister and GERB leader Boyko Borisov resigned in February following protests over poverty and alleged corruption.