Ruling Party Defeats Bulgaria Most Successful Right-Wing Mayor by 2% - Exit Polls

Dimitar Stoykov has said he wants to revive the town's glory as a tourist destination with preserved cultural, historical and natural heritage. File photo

Nayden Zelenogorski, one of the most successful right-wing politicians in Bulgaria, has been defeated in his bid for a fourth term as Pleven mayor by the ruling party runner, according to exit polls.

The run-off expectedly proved to be a neck-to-neck race between the two candidates - Zelenogorski, nominated by Bulgarian New Democracy, garnered 49% of the votes, while his rival Dimitar Stoykov, nominated by the ruling center-right GERB party, garnered 51% of the votes of the citizens of Pleven, the first exit polls show.

The incumbent mayor garnered 29% of the votes during the first round of the elections on October 23 against 33% for his rival.

Stoykov's bid was widely publicized in the local media and has been supported by the local doctors, tampliers.

"With his visit to the town of Pleven, Boyko Borisov gave us his support as a human being and as a friend. In this way he told the citizens of our town that he is their friend too which is much stronger commitment than many others because true friends are friends forever," Stoykov said in between the two rounds after the prime minister visited the town.

Between the two rounds the incumbent Zelenogorski received much needed support by the former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, who finished third in the presidential race. His bid was also backed by the Green party, the nationalist VMRO-BND, prominent writer, journalist and politician Lyuben Dilov Junior, many intellectuals.

They said Zelenogorski's qualities as a politician and mayor are undisputed, his presence in the sparse democratic community of Bulgaria – strong. According to them the mayoral elections in Pleven are an example of what Bulgaria should not allow – the attempt to win with tricks.

Zelenogorski, who is one of the very few right-wing mayors to have tasted re-election, claimed to have the potential to garner another 10 thousand votes and called on all citizens to vote actively in the second round to secure his victory.

Pleven, located in Northern Bulgaria, is the seventh most populous city in the country. It is the third largest city in Northern Bulgaria after Varna and Russe.

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