Poll: Bulgaria's Runoff Voter Turnout Higher than 1st Round

By 3 pm Sunday, slightly over 37% of Bulgarian voters had cast a ballot in the presidential and local elections runoff.

The data comes from the MBMD polling agency. It shows a trend for a higher voter turnout (currently by about 5%), compared to the first round on October 23

There were more female voters, younger people, and people over 60, compared to men and the mid-aged. Most of those going to the polls had high school or college education.

Regarding minorities, the vote is returning to normal, after a very high early morning activity on the part of the Roma. In the last few hours, the vote of the ethnic Turks has intensified along with voting in the capital Sofia and the largest cities, compared to small towns and villages, especially at locations when there is no local runoff.

Experts predict that voter turnout will surpass 40%, which threshold might have been reached at 4 pm at many places. They believe that many people, who gave up on casting a ballot during the first round over the long lines, are now voting in the runoff where much better organization is reported at voting polls.