Bulgarian President-Elect Had Most Expensive Campaign

Bulgaria's President-elect Rosen Plevneliev had the most expensive campaign among all runners in the October elections, according to the official data publish Friday.

Plevneliev's campaign cost a total of BGN 1.8 M (approximately EUR 921 000), a little below the BGN 2 M limit that was set. All the money was from the ruling centrist-right GERB's state subsidy.

Plevneliev, GERB's former Regional Minister, won with 52.58% of the votes cast.

The campaign of Svetoslav Vitkov, lead singer of punk/rock band Hipodil, turned out to be the cheapest, costing a mere BGN 220.

Plevneliev's main opponent, former Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin from the oppositional left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, had an election campaign worth BGN 1.58 M, of which BGN 1.55 M came from a loan to be repaid in the future by state subsidies.

Ivaylo Kalfin lost by a relatively narrow margin – he got 47.2% of the vote.

Independent candidate Meglena Kuneva's campaign cost BGN 294 000, all of which was gathered from donations and personal resourses. Kuneva, who is Bulgaria's former EU Commissioner, finished third in the presidential race.

Notorious alleged crime boss Aleksei Petrov, who is currently a defendant in a high-profile trial on charges of racketeering and extortion, financed his own campaign which cost a total of BGN 204 000.

A total of 18 candidates took part in the presidential elections, 12 of whom were endorsed by parties, while the other six relied on initiative committees.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!