SOFIA, Bulgaria, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Bulgarians will
elect a new president on Sunday in run-off
elections, following insufficient voter turnout last
week.
The elections could result in a unique political
situation in the small Balkan country in which an ex
king is now Prime Minister. He may very soon be
forced to share power with a president who is a
former communist.
The two contenders in Sunday's stand off are the
incumbent president Petar Stoyanov, 49, and
Georgi Parvanov, 44, leader of Bulgaria's reformed
communist party, now called socalist. One of them
will be elected on Sunday regardless of voter
turnout.
Last Sunday Stoyanov finished second, tailing
Parvanov by a percentage and a half, in
contradiction to all preliminary polls, which had
predicted a convincing first place for the president,
seeking a second term.
Five years ago Stoyanov ran as the candidate of
the Union of Democatic Forces, or UDF. He is now
ostensibly an independant candidate but has the
official support of both the UDF and of Prime
Minister Simeon Saxcoburggotki, whose National
Mocvement won June's parliameary elections,
removing the UDF from power.
The Prime Minister is by birth the king of Bulgaria
but the monarchy was abolished by the communist
regime over half a century ago and the King was
forced to spend most of his life in exile in Madrid,
Spain.
He entered politics early this year and was
greeted like a messiah by the impoverished
Bulgarians, whose living standard is one of the
lowest in Europe. According to official figures over
40 percent of the population lives on or bellow the
povery line.
The ex-king promised to significantly reduce
poverty within 800 days and to wage a resolute
battle against corruption, whch has taken on
dramatic dimensions in the small Balkan country.
The vast majority of the voters trusted the ex-king
seing in him a welcome alternative to 12 years of
alternating rule by former communists and newly
emerged democrats,
But very soon the government announced sharp
increases in the prices of electricity, heating and in
various taxes and Simeon's popularity plunged
accordingly.
Analysts comment that as a result the support of
Simeon has become a disadvantage for Stoyanov
who also has to bear the burden of being closely
linked to the UDF, associated by many Bulgarians
with the corruption scandals of recent years.
Stoyanov's position is further complicated by the
decision of the influential Movement for Rights and
Liberties, representing the large Turkish minority,
to back the socialist Parvanov in the run-off. This in
spite of the fact that the party is a coalition partner
in Simeon's government.
The third runner in last week's elections Bogomile
Bonev with 20 percent of the vote has said he
would be voting for socialist Parvanov.
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic and the
president's power is limited but he is the country's
face abroad and is supreme commander of the
armed forces.
Parvanov has said that if elected he would
continue like Stoyanov to strive for EU and NATO
membership for Bulgaria.
Like Simeon in his election campaign Parvanov
has been cashing in on the difficult economic
situation of the Bulgarians, promising to do his
utmost to improve the lot of those that are the
poorest.
