'The Best Is Yet to Come!' - Peevski Celebrates DPS-New Beginning Victory in Pazardzhik

In an extraordinary vote for municipal councilors in Pazardzhik, the “DPS-New Beginning” coalition led by Delyan Peevski secured a clear victory, demonstrating significant support in the surrounding villages. Following the result, Peevski highlighted that the outcome reflected citizens’ trust in a “new beginning” and reaffirmed his commitment to prioritizing the welfare of the people.

In a social media post, Peevski congratulated his party’s municipal councilor candidates for their efforts and acknowledged the newly elected mayors supported by his list. He emphasized that politics is not confined to election day or social networks, but should be conducted daily for all citizens without division, hatred, or hierarchy. The newly elected mayors include Vildan Bayram Mehmed of Boyan Botevo and Mineralni Bani municipalities, and Iliya Kamenov Iliev of Strupets Municipality. Peevski concluded with a message of optimism, stating, “The best is yet to come!”

In response to the same elections, the WCC-DB coalition (“We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria”) released its assessment, claiming first place in the city itself while ranking second in the villages, where “DPS-New Beginning” leads. They criticized GERB for coming sixth with a 40% lower vote count than WCC-DB, asserting that despite alleged vote buying and attacks, they increased their voter support by 30% and will secure two additional municipal councilors. The coalition accused the Ministry of Interior of complicity with vote-buying activities and reaffirmed its stance against the influence of DPS-New Beginning.

The final official results confirmed “DPS-New Beginning” as the leading party in the new municipal council of Pazardzhik with just over 17% of the vote, followed by WCC-DB at 11.75%. GERB emerged as a major loser, securing just above 6%. Another notable result came from the party “Svoboda” (Freedom), which garnered over 10%, led by Rumen Dimitrov, a former municipal councilor aligned with the previous mayor, Todor Popov, who himself received 7% of the votes. Several smaller lists backed by former municipal councilors will also have representation in the new council.

Mayor Petar Kulenski now faces the challenge of forming a functioning majority in the municipal council. Both BSP and GERB, which had previously participated in the mayor’s majority, find themselves in weaker positions after finishing fourth and sixth respectively. GERB members and supporters have already called for the resignation of regional chairman Nayden Shopov, citing the party’s poor performance in the elections.