Sure Reelection for Incumbent Sofia Mayor Fandakova, Poll Predicts

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova is pictured here on a stage covering the entire image of a giant bunny but its ears. Photo by BGNES

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova is very likely to win a second term in the Bulgarian local elections in the fall of 2011, according to a fresh poll.

A public opinion poll of the Center for Analyses and Marketing presented by its head Yliy Pavlov Monday shows that Fandakova from the ruling center-right party GERB would score wins in both a first round and a runoff.

A total of 27% of the respondents said they would vote for a GERB candidate for Sofia Mayor vs. 15.4% for a candidate of the main opposition party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party. A candidate of the rightist Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) would get 7% and of its partner in the Blue Coalition, the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria party (DSB) – 5.5%. A bidder of the nationalists from Ataka would win 3.7%, while the marginal conservative party RZS would get 1.2%.

When asked to choose from among likely personalities, the respondents' answers indicated that if Yordanka Fandakova runs for reelection, she would get 32.2% of the votes, while Georgi Kadiev from the Bulgarian Socialist Party – whom Fandakova defeated in the partial local elections in 2009 – would get 17.3%. Vladimir Kisyov from the Blue Coalition (UDF and DSB) would get 7.4% of the votes, while former Sofia Mayor in 1995-2005, Stefan Sofiyanski, would received 4.9%. Vladimir Karolev from the National Movement for Stability and Prosperity of former Tsar and PM Simeon Saxe-Coburg would get 2%.

If Fandakova faces Kadiev, also known as the "red yuppie", she is predicted to win as 38.8% said they would support her vs. 17.2% for Kadiev.

47.3% of the people in Sofia said they will vote in the local elections in the fall, which will be held together with the presidential elections. 21.5% said they would not vote.

Sofia Mayor Fandakova is found to enjoy an approval rate in Sofia of 43.8%, her deputy Ivan Sotirov – 24.5%; city councilor Vladimir Kisyov gets 20.7%, Georgi Kadiev – 19.7%, and Petar Moskov (DSB) – 17.2%.

40% of the Sofia respondents in the poll said they want a change in the way Sofia is governed, while 20% think no change is needed. 30.8% believe Fandakova should be reelected, while 29.8% are in favor of a new face.

Sociologist Yuliy Pavlov believes Fandakova's greatest trump card is that those wanting change fail to unite behind one candidate. The cited poll was conducted among 1 012 Sofia residents in April 15-20, 2011.

Fandakova, a former high school teacher of Russian who was totally unknown before she was promoted in 2009 by her predecessor and current PM Boyko Borisov, has recently come under increased criticism on various issues, and by popular opinion has lost some momentum.

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