Sofia Municipal Council Deadlocked Again in Chairperson Election Stalemate

The Sofia Municipal Council remains ensnared in a deadlock following the third unsuccessful attempt to elect its chairperson on Thursday. Boris Bonev, the candidate of "We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) and "Spasi Sofia", who previously garnered considerable support but fell short of the required votes, withdrew from the race this time. Meanwhile, GERB refrained from nominating any candidate, further complicating the situation.

The council, with 61 members, faces the challenge of electing a chair who must secure the support of at least 31 council members. Despite being the largest group with 23 seats, Bonev's coalition has struggled to gather sufficient backing from other council factions.

During the recent session, two rounds of voting took place. In the initial round, 45 council members cast their votes, resulting in Diana Tonova of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) securing seven votes, along with Krassimir Galabov from "Vazrazhdane". Meanwhile, Plamen Danailov of "There Is Such a People" (TISP) received support from four councilors. Notably, 27 ballots were declared invalid. Subsequently, in the second round involving the top two candidates, Tonova received eight out of 40 votes while Galabov secured seven, with 25 ballots being invalidated.

It was apparent before the voting that WCC-DB and "Spasi Sofia" would cast invalid ballots during the process, contributing to the ongoing impasse.

The voting process, conducted through secret paper ballots, underscored the continued stalemate in the council's attempt to elect a new chairperson.

The next opportunity to resolve this deadlock is scheduled for December 7, when the municipal council is set to convene once more, seeking a viable solution to break the ongoing gridlock.

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