Bulgaria Opposition Socialists File Claim to Cancel Sofia Elections

Socialist Sofia mayor hopeful Georgi Kadiev and fellow party members walking Tuesday to file claims for cancellation of the October 23 elections. BGNES

Representatives of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party have officially filed a claim for the cancellation of mayor elections in capital Sofia October 23.

October 23 and 30 Bulgaria held the two rounds of presidential and municipal elections, which were marked by the most widespread reports of irregularities and violations in Bulgaria's recent 20 years since transition from communism in 1989.

The Sofia vote was won at the first round by incumbent, ruling center-right GERB party candidate Yordanka Fandakova, who gathered some 53% of ballots.

Tuesday the socialist Sofia mayor candidate Georgi Kadiev, who came out second with 22%, filed a claim at the Sofia Municipal Electoral Committee for cancellation of the vote due to irregularities.

Socialist representatives running on the list for municipal councilmen also filed a separate claim to that effect.

The claimants said they had three main reasons for canceling the vote, namely a bad organization that prevented many citizens to vote, an illegitimate extension of the election day by the Central Electoral Commission, as well as many documented violations of the electoral law at the local polling stations.

"The difference between Fandakova and me is very great and I know I lost those elections," said Kadiev, "But I want to lose fair elections held in a democratic way."

According to Kadiev, all political parties outside of GERB have been negatively affected by election violations. He recalled that earlier another party, the Bulgarian Greens, also filed a claim against election irregularities.

"The Central Electoral Commission didn't punish GERB MPs interfering with the vote, because GERB has a majority in the electoral body too," added the socialist.

On the day after the first round of Bulgarian elections, the Sofia elections authority was one of the sites of rampant administrative chaos in the country, with thousands local election representatives waiting for many hours through the night and on the next day for their ballot boxes to be officially accepted.

As part of the spectacle, two ruling GERB party MPs were spotted carrying bags of ballots around the Sofia Electoral Commission, at a time when party representatives were not allowed to enter the institution.

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