Russia Excited about Bulgaria's President-Elect

Rosen Plevneliev, the candidate endorsed by Bulgaria's ruling centrist-right GERB party, won the presidential runoff on Sunday by gathering 52.58% of the votes. Photo by BGNES

Russia expects a boost in its diplomatic relations with Bulgaria after the Balkan country elected its former Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev as President.

Russia hopes that "Bulgaria's new President will contribute to the mutual cooperation between Russia and Bulgaria and will participate in the strengthening of the centuries-long relations between the two countries," a statement issued by Russia's Foreign Ministry has said, as cited by ITAR-TASS on Wednesday.

The Russian news agency reminds that Rosen Plevneliev, the candidate endorsed by Bulgaria's ruling centrist-right GERB party, won the presidential runoff on Sunday by gathering 52.58% of the votes against 47.42% for his opponent, left winger Ivaylo Kalfin.

Unlike Bulgaria's outgoing president Georgi Parvanov, who is widely believed to be closely connected to Russia, Plevneliev is expected to be a more western-oriented politician.

Between 1991 and 1998, the Bulgarian president-elect worked in Germany as the co-owner of a construction firm that worked as a subcontractor for Lindner. In 1998, he became the founder and manager of the Bulgarian construction companies that are part of the Lindner Bulgaria group.

In June 2009, the prosperous businessman was presented as part of the economic policy team of the GERB party.

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