Bulgaria GERB Party with Most Frugal Mayor Election Campaign

Bulgaria's the left wing spent BGN 820 000 on the campaign of socialist candidate, Georgi Kadiev (l), compared to BGN 190 000 for the GERB candidate and election winner, Iordanka Fandakova (r). Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party spent 4 times less on their Sofia Mayor election campaign compared to the main opponent – Coalition for Bulgaria.

The data of the “Media Democracy” Foundation, released Friday, shows that the left wing spent BGN 820 000 on the campaign of socialist candidate, Georgi Kadiev, compared to BGN 190 000 for the GERB candidate and election winner, Iordanka Fandakova.

Data further reveals than one vote cost GERB BGN 0,37 while one Coalition for Bulgaria vote had the cost of BGN 1,07. GERB had the overall cheapest campaign while the most expensive one belongs to the Union of Free Democrats (UFD) - BGN 45,36 per vote.

In addition, GERB had only 13 minutes of TV ads while the UFD candidate, Ivan Antikadzhiev, appeared on TV 132 times.

The Foundation analysis shows that all parties had focused on voters 50 and older while the young voters (18 to 24 years of age) had not been targeted.

The “Media Democracy” experts believe that the charisma and the media talent of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, had made the “fourth power” in Bulgaria “lazy” while the headlines are created not by the media but by the PM himself.

In addition, the main global issues do not make the local media headlines because the PM does not address them – for example climate change is not discussed in Bulgaria because Borisov does not share his opinion on it.

Mila Mineva, one of the Foundation’s experts, believes that the actions of the new cabinet remind of a soap opera while Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, looks like a sitcom character with his pizza metaphors of the budget while no one in the country understands anything about the budget itself.

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