Presidential elections were held in Bulgaria on 6 November 2016,[1] alongside a referendum on changes to the electoral system and political party funding. The second round was held on 13 November 2016, resulting in the victory of Rumen Radev.
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| Turnout | 56.28% (first round) 50.44% (second round) | |||||||||||||||||||
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 Results by province Radev: 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Electoral system
editThe president was elected using the two-round system.[2] For the first time voters were allowed to vote for none of the above.[3]
Candidates
editIncumbent president Rosen Plevneliev announced in May 2016 that he would not be running for re-election.[4]
Official candidates
edit| Presidential candidate | Born | Vice presidential running-mate | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Maj.Gen.Rumen Radev |
18 June 1963 (age 53) Town Dimitrovgrad, Region Haskovo, Bulgaria |
Iliana Iotova | Independent supported by Bulgarian Socialist Party | General Radev, the former commander of the Bulgarian Air Force,[5] is supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party and was originally endorsed by the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival, but on 23 August 2016 the Bulgarian Socialist Party denied plans for a common coalition for the presidential elections.[6] Iotova is an MP in the European Parliament. |
 Tsetska Tsacheva |
24 May 1958 (age 58) Village Dragana, Municipality Ugarchin, Region Lovech, Bulgaria |
Plamen Manushev | GERB | Tsacheva is the incumbent Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria.[7] Manushev is MP. |
 Krasimir Karakachanov |
29 March 1965 (age 51) Rousse, Bulgaria |
Yavor Notev | United Patriots | Karachanov is co-chairman of the Patriotic Front and a Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly.[8] Notev is the Deputy Chair of the Attack party and a Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly. |
 Traycho Traykov |
19 April 1970 (age 46) Sofia, Bulgaria |
Sabi Sabev | Reformist Bloc | Traykov is the former Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism and is currently a municipal councilor in Sofia.[9] Sabev is a general in the Bulgarian army. |
 Ivaylo Kalfin |
30 May 1964 (age 52) Sofia, Bulgaria |
Lyubomir Halachev | Kalfin President Coalition | Kalfin is a Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Former Minister of Labour and Social Policy, as well as the BSP presidential candidate in the 2011 election.[10] |
| Tatyana Doncheva | 28 January 1960 (age 56) Tryavna, Bulgaria |
Mincho Spasov | Movement 21 National Movement for Stability and Progress |
Doncheva is a jurist and a former MP;[11] Spasov is a jurist and former MP. |
 Plamen Oresharski |
21 February 1960 (age 56) Dupnitsa, Bulgaria |
Danail Papazov | Independent supported by Movement for Rights and Freedoms | Oresharski is a former Prime Minister of Bulgaria;[12] Papazov is a former minister of Transport. |
| George Ganchev | 29 August 1939 (age 77) Plovdiv, Bulgaria |
Kolyo Paramov | Christian Social Union | Ganchev is a former MP and three-time presidential candidate.[13] Paramov is an economist and former MP. |
| Velizar Enchev | 7 January 1953 (age 63) Galabovo, Bulgaria |
Bilyana Grancharova | Movement for Radical Change Bulgarian Spring | Enchev is an independent MP;[14] Grancharova is a jurist. |
Veselin Mareshki |
26 March 1967 (age 49) Varna, Bulgaria |
Petar Petrov | Independent | Mareshki is a businessman.[15] |
| Dimitar Marinov | 15 August 1955 (age 61) Karaisen, Bulgaria |
Radoslav Petrov (aka Rado Shisharkata) | Bulgarian National Unification | Marinov (known as Mityo The Pistol) is a popular entertainer and reality show star, having appeared in VIP Brother 1, a spinoff of the Big Brother franchise;[16] Petrov (known as Rado the Fircone) is a pop-folk singer. |
| Vladimir Kuzov | 16 June 1966 (age 50) Sofia, Bulgaria |
Borislav Noev | Independent | Kuzov and Noev are former MPs from the union around the Attack party;[17] Their registration in the elections was denied due to insufficient number of signatures gathered.[18] |
 Aleksandar Tomov |
27 April 1954 (age 62) Sofia, Bulgaria |
Radoslav Radoslavov | Bulgarian Socialdemocratic-Euroleft | Tomov is a businessman. |
| Gospodin Tonev | 29 November 1955 (age 60) Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria |
Andrey Andreev | Bulgarian Democratic Community | |
| Kamen Popov | Bulgaria | Georgi Nedelchev | Independent | Popov is a businessman, sportsman.
Popov struck the leader of Attack party Volen Siderov.[19] |
| Svetoslav Vitkov | 26 January 1971 (age 45) Sofia, Bulgaria |
Ivan Velkov | Independent supported by People's Voice The Greens |
Vitkov is a musician, and a municipal councilor in Sofia;[20] Velkov is a Deputy Chairman of the municipal councilor in Sofia. Their registration in the elections was denied due to insufficient number of signatures gathered.[18] |
| Kemil Ramadan | Bulgaria | Momchil Dobrev | Balkanic Democratic League | |
| Nikolay Banev | 16 August 1959 (age 57) Lyubimets, Bulgaria |
Sali Ibrayim | Independent | Banev is a businessman;[21] Ibrayim is a former mayor of Momchilgrad. |
| Biser Milanov | Bulgaria | Krasimir Nastev | Independent | Milanov is a recidivist;[22] Nastev is a businessman. |
| Diana Dimitrova | Bulgaria | Gabriel Gerasimov | Independent | |
| Yordanka Koleva | Bulgaria | Veselin Hristov | Independent | |
| Plamen Paskov | Bulgaria | Svetozar Saev | Independent | |
| Rumen Galabinov | Bulgaria | Veska Voleva | Independent |
Declined
edit| Candidate | Born | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 President Rosen Plevneliev |
14 May 1964 (age 52) Town Gotse Delchev, Region Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria |
Independent | [23] |
 Prime Minister Boyko Borisov |
13 June 1959 (age 57) Town Bankya, Region Sofia, Bulgaria |
GERB | Endorsed Tsetska Tsacheva[24] |
Opinion polls
editFirst round
edit Qualifying for the second round
| Pollster | Date | Radev | Tsacheva | Karakachanov | Mareshki | Oresharski | Traykov | Kalfin | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Links[permanent dead link] | 4 October 2016 | 14.9 | 19.8 | 7.9 | – | 1.1 | 4.5 | 5.4 | 46.4 |
| Mediana[permanent dead link] | 8 October 2016 | 18 | 25.4 | 9.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 4.2 | 6.1 | 31.9 |
| Gallup International[permanent dead link] | 12 October 2016 | 15.1 | 19.2 | 7.2 | 4.7 | 1.3 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 42.4 |
| Alpha Research[permanent dead link] | 13 October 2016 | 21.4 | 29.3 | 8.7 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 6.8 | 25 |
| TSAM[permanent dead link] | 22 October 2016 | 22 | 32 | 9.1 | 5.3 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 16.9 |
| IMP[permanent dead link] | 22 October 2016 | 21.1 | 26.6 | 9.7 | – | 1.8 | 4.9 | 8.6 | 27.3 |
| Gallup International[permanent dead link] | 25 October 2016 | 16.3 | 20.2 | 8.1 | 5 | 3.8 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 36.1 |
| Market Links[permanent dead link] | 30 October 2016 | 18.1 | 19.4 | 8.5 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 40.2 |
| Online Solutions[permanent dead link] | 3 November 2016 | 18 | 19 | 16 | – | – | – | 15 | 32 |
| Barometre Bulgaria[permanent dead link] | 3 November 2016 | 14.4 | 19.3 | 19.1 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.2 | 29.2 |
Second round
edit| Pollster | Date | Radev | Tsacheva | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallup International[permanent dead link] | 12 October 2016 | 29.6 | 26.4 | 44 |
| Alpha Research[permanent dead link] | 13 October 2016 | 31.3 | 32.6 | 36.1 |
| Sova Harris[permanent dead link] | 15 October 2016 | 37.8 | 38.7 | 23.5 |
| TSAM[permanent dead link] | 22 October 2016 | 41 | 43 | 16 |
| Gallup International[permanent dead link] | 25 October 2016 | 32.1 | 31.3 | 36.6 |
| Market Links[permanent dead link] | 30 October 2016 | 30.7 | 25 | 44.3 |
| Mediana[permanent dead link] | 31 October 2016 | 37.2 | 36.2 | 26.6 |
| Pollster | Date | Radev | Karakachanov | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Links[permanent dead link] | 30 October 2016 | 27.2 | 26.1 | 46.7 |
| Pollster | Date | Tsacheva | Karakachanov | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Research[permanent dead link] | 13 October 2016 | 31.3 | 25.1 | 43.4 |
Results
edit| Candidate | Running mate | Party | First round | Second round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| Rumen Radev | Iliana Iotova | Independent (Bulgarian Socialist Party) | 973,754 | 25.44 | 2,063,032 | 59.37 | |
| Tsetska Tsacheva | Plamen Manushev | GERB | 840,635 | 21.96 | 1,256,485 | 36.16 | |
| Krasimir Karakachanov | Yavor Notev | United Patriots | 573,016 | 14.97 | |||
| Veselin Mareshki | Petar Petrov | Independent | 427,660 | 11.17 | |||
| Plamen Oresharski | Danail Papazov | Independent | 253,726 | 6.63 | |||
| Traycho Traykov | Sabi Sabev | Reformist Bloc | 224,734 | 5.87 | |||
| Ivailo Kalfin | Lyubomir Halachev | Alternative for Bulgarian Revival | 125,531 | 3.28 | |||
| Tatyana Doncheva | Mincho Spasov | Movement 21–NDSV | 69,372 | 1.81 | |||
| George Ganchev | Kolyo Paramov | Christian Social Union | 27,928 | 0.73 | |||
| Velizar Enchev | Bilyana Grancharova | Movement for Radical Change Bulgarian Spring | 18,213 | 0.48 | |||
| Dimitar Marinov | Radoslav Petrov | Bulgarian National Unification | 14,974 | 0.39 | |||
| Rumen Galabinov | Veska Voleva | Independent | 10,286 | 0.27 | |||
| Plamen Paskov | Svetozar Saev | Independent | 10,103 | 0.26 | |||
| Aleksandar Tomov | Radoslav Radoslavov | Bulgarian Social Democracy–EuroLeft | 9,513 | 0.25 | |||
| Gospodin Tonev | Andrey Andreev | Bulgarian Democratic Community | 6,855 | 0.18 | |||
| Kemil Ramadan | Momchil Dobrev | Balkanic Democratic League | 6,089 | 0.16 | |||
| Kamen Popov | Georgi Nedelchev | Independent | 5,212 | 0.14 | |||
| Diana Dimitrova | Gabriel Gerasimov | Independent | 4,362 | 0.11 | |||
| Nikolay Banev | Sali Ibrayim | Independent | 4,196 | 0.11 | |||
| Yordanka Koleva | Veselin Hristov | Independent | 4,182 | 0.11 | |||
| Biser Milanov | Krasimir Nastev | Independent | 3,215 | 0.08 | |||
| None of the above | 214,094 | 5.59 | 155,411 | 4.47 | |||
| Total | 3,827,650 | 100.00 | 3,474,928 | 100.00 | |||
| Valid votes | 3,827,650 | 96.96 | 3,474,928 | 98.14 | |||
| Invalid/blank votes | 119,925 | 3.04 | 66,036 | 1.86 | |||
| Total votes | 3,947,575 | 100.00 | 3,540,964 | 100.00 | |||
| Registered voters/turnout | 7,014,723 | 56.28 | 7,020,119 | 50.44 | |||
| Source: Electoral Commission of Bulgaria | |||||||
Voter demographics
editGallup exit polling suggested the following demographic breakdown.
| Voter Demographics[25] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social group | % Radev | % Tsacheva | % Karakachanov | % Mareshki | % Oresharski | % Traykov | % Kalfin | % Others | % Lead |
| Exit Poll Result | 26 | 22 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| Final Result | 25.4 | 22.0 | 15.0 | 11.2 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 10.5 | 3.4 |
| Gender | |||||||||
| Men | 26 | 21 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 5 |
| Women | 27 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Age | |||||||||
| 18–30 | 19 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 30-60 | 23 | 23 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| 60 | 39 | 21 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| Highest Level of Education | |||||||||
| Lower Education | 29 | 24 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 5 |
| Secondary Education | 24 | 23 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| Higher Education | 28 | 20 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 8 |
| Ethnic Group | |||||||||
| Bulgarian - 88% | 28 | 22 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Turkish - 9% | 7 | 19 | 1 | 13 | 44 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 25 |
| Roma - 3% | 27 | 36 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| Location | |||||||||
| Towns and Villages | 25 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Smaller Cities | 29 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Larger Cities | 27 | 21 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 6 |
| Sofia | 24 | 20 | 16 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 4 |
Aftermath
editFollowing the results of the second round, Prime Minister and GERB leader Boiko Borisov tendered his resignation.[26] Two days later, on 16 November, the National Assembly voted 218–0 to accept it, resulting in early parliamentary elections.[27]
References
edit- ^ Global elections calendar NDI
- ^ Bulgaria IFES
- ^ Bulgaria’s 2016 presidential elections: Voters to have ‘I don’t support anyone’ option Sofia Glove, 9 October 2016
- ^ "Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev Won't Seek Second Term in 2016 Elections". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ "The President of the Republic of Bulgaria Gen. Rumen Radev MiG 29 Fulcrum MEMORABLE Flight Display". 8 November 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Румен Радев – генералът, когото левицата избра да води битката ѝ".
- ^ "Борисов обяви официално Цецка Цачева за кандидат-президент на ГЕРБ: Нацията има нужда и от майка (допълнена)" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ "Каракачанов и Нотев - "патриотичната двойка" за "Дондуков" 2" (in Bulgarian). dir.bg. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- ^ Traicho Traikov is the Reformist Bloc's presidential candidate Archived 13 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine BNT, 1 September 2016
- ^ "Първо в "24 часа": Калфин ще е кандидатът на АБВ за президент".
- ^ "Татяна Дончева и Минчо Спасов влизат заедно в кандидатпрезидентската битка (допълнена)".
- ^ "Пламен Орешарски се кандидатира за президент". Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ^ "Жорж Ганчев и Кольо Парамов убедени, че ще спечелят президентските избори". 31 May 2016.
- ^ "И Велизар Енчев влиза в битката за държавен глава". 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Марешки все пак ще се кандидатира за президент".
- ^ "Митьо Пищова и Радо Шишарката щурмуват президентството". 12 September 2016.
- ^ "Предозиране: И Владимир Кузов поиска да е президент".
- ^ a b "Светослав Витков и Владимир Кузов отпадат от изборите, не са събрали подписи" [Svetoslav Vitkov and Vladimir Kuzov drop out of the elections, they have not gathered signatures]. dnevnik.bg (in Bulgarian). 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
- ^ "Камен Попов – рокерът кандидат-президент – bgonair.bg".
- ^ news.bg (14 September 2016). "Светльо Витков и "Зелените" отиват заедно на президентския вот".
- ^ Рошкев, Стоил. "Кои са кандидатпрезидентските двойки". Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ^ "Бисер Миланов се включва в президентската надпревара – БЛИЦ – Новини от България и света".
- ^ "Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev Won't Seek Second Term in 2016 Elections". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
- ^ Bulgaria's PM to Run for President in 5 Years Novinite, 1 September 2016
- ^ "Демографски профили на вота". Галъп интернешънъл (in Bulgarian). 7 November 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
- ^ Bulgarian PM Borisov tenders his government resignation Reuters, 14 November 2016
- ^ "Bulgarian MPs Accept PM Borisov's Resignation". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2016.