Ruling GERB Takes over Right Wing Stronghold Pleven

Nayden Zelenogorski, one of the most successful Bulgarian right-wing mayors with three terms in a row in the Northern town of Pleven was defeated at runoff by the candidate of the ruling GERB. Photo by BGNES

Dimitar Stoykov, nominated by the ruling center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) is the new Mayor of the northern city of Pleven.

The news was broken Monday by the Chair of the Pleven Municipal Electoral Commission, Rumen Tsachev, who says that 100% of the Pleven ballots have been counted by 3:30 am Monday.

In one of the tightest mayoral races in the country, Stoykov has garnered 50.3% of the votes of the citizens of Pleven (28 257 ballots) while his rival, Nayden Zelenogorski, has 49.7% (27 868). Voter turnout in Pleven was 47%.

Zelenogorski, nominated by Bulgarian New Democracy, has been seen as one of the most successful right-wing politicians in Bulgaria with three terms in office as Mayor of Pleven. The run-off expectedly proved to be a neck-to-neck race between the two candidates.

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

Dr. Stoykov's bid was widely publicized in the local media and has been supported not only by GERB, but by local doctors and the Order of the Knights Templar while between the two rounds the incumbent Zelenogorski was endorsed by the former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, who finished third in the presidential race. His bid was also backed by the Greens party, the nationalist VMRO-BND, prominent writer, journalist and politician Lyuben Dilov Junior, and many intellectuals.

At the beginning of September, Zelenogorski, who was one of the very few right-wing mayors to have tasted re-election, threatened to sue the country in Strasbourg over what he saw as a dirty trick by his rivals.

He announced plans to file a suit in the Human Rights court in Strasbourg after the Central Elections Commission (CEC) registered a coalition, which used and abused his name. The Commission also dismissed his appeal against the registration of the coalition "For Zelenogorski", which has nothing to do with his candidacy.

The incumbent mayor disagreed that his name was used by a coalition in which he did not and does not participate because it would mislead voters. Zelenogorski argued that he is the only Bulgarian to have this surname.

According to the Commission, however, it had no formal reason to turn down the coalition's application for registration since it was the only one with this name.

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 Ruse.

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