GERB Tops Media Reports Due to Bulgarian Watergate

Former Bulgarian Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, has been mentioned 1 859 times in local media in the first three weeks of the election campaign. File photo by BGNES

The formerly-ruling centrist Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party, GERB, and its leader, former Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, have been mentioned the most in local media in the first three weeks of the election campaign.

The monitoring has been conducted by the Institute for Social Integration and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies. It includes 25 media – 4 TVs, 10 news agencies, and 2 internet sites and their reporting on 12 political parties and 15 key politicians.

GERB has been mentioned nearly twice more than its rival running neck-and-neck in the race – the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP.

This is, however, attributed to the scandal with the unauthorized wiretapping in the country, leading to negative reports prevailing over the positive ones as well.

In the three weeks, in the party leaders' ranking, Borisov has been mentioned 1 859 times; BSP leader, Sergey Stanishev – 1 029 times. The rest are trailing far behind – Lyutvi Mestan, leader of the ethnic Turkish Party Movement for Rights and Freedoms, DPS – 303 times; Meglena Kuneva, former EU Commissioner and leader of Bulgaria for Citizens – 273 times, Yane Yanev, leader of the conservative Order, Law and Justice party, RZS – 203 times, Ivan Kostov, leader of the right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria, DSB – 203, and Volen Siderov, leader of the far-right, nationalist party Ataka – 119 times.

Among political parties, GERB is the leader again with 3 642 media reports; BSP is second with  2 021, followed by DPS – 865, Bulgaria for Citizens – 402, Ataka – 400, RZS – 349, DSB – 316, and the right-wing Union of Democratic Forces, UDF – 264.

Among politicians in general, the most mentioned name – 1 864 times - is of former Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, also attributed to his alleged involvement in the "Bulgarian Watergate." Due to this, reporting on Tsvetanov has been mostly negative.

The Socialist nomination for PM, former Finance Minister, Plamen Oresharski, is second, but far behind Tsvetanov with 232 mentions.

The "new" players on the political scene, including the informal leaders of the mass winter protest rallies, remain largely unnoticed in mainstream media.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!