A good manager and an honest man is the ideal profile of a mayor in Bulgaria, according to a survey, conducted by Darik radio and the news provider http://www.dariknews.bg .

The results were announced at a press conference, organized by two of the most influential media in the country - Darik radio and 24 Hours Daily - and marked the semi-official opening of the pre-election campaign for the local October vote.

Corruption proves to be the biggest concern among voters - 90% of the respondents in Darik survey say the mayor should not be corrupt and should not cover up the corrupt members in his team.

Good managerial qualities come second on the voters' "must have" list with 87% of the respondents saying their mayor should be an experienced manager.

More than 70% of the people, who voted in the online poll, said implementing funds under EU programs should be of the highest priority to their mayor, while 62% assigned the greatest importance to developing sports and culture.

A parallel poll, conducted by the reporters of 24 Hours daily in 17 districts across Bulgaria, paint the picture of the perfect mayor as a new player on the local political scene, wealthy, independent, aged up to 50, highly qualified, married with children.

All hopefuls for the office of Sofia mayor were invited to attend the press conference on Tuesday but incumbent Boyko Borisov, Socialist Brigo Asparuhov and Antonia Parvanova, running on the ticket of the former king's party, decided not to show up at the battlefield.

The notable absences got their rivals peeved, but also gave them a chance to demonstrate their sense of humour.

"I guess Mr Asparuhov is doing something in secret, just like what he has been doing all his life," right-wing candidate Martin Zaimov said, referring to the murky past of his leftist rival, former intelligence chief Brigo Asparuhov.

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