(10 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sofia – 10 June 2024
1. Various of central Sofia with morning commuters
2. SOUNDBITE (Bulgarian) Svelta Todorova, retired:
“I went to vote with expectations of a change and responsible people to win but unfortunately we have more of the same.”
3. Various of people in Central Park, central streets, morning commuters
4. SOUNDBITE (Bulgarian) Alexandra Tsekova, citizen:
‘’I’m not happy with the results, this was expected anyway. What I would have liked was more people to vote in a different way, so to have a real change because these promises we heard since we were kids, but we’re not kids anymore.’’
5. Various of Monday’s newspapers with results
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Svetlozar Zhelev, writer:
‘’The two biggest parties, GERB and DPS, have enough voices, enough members of parliament and with some of other parties which would be absolutely ok, with ITN or I don’t know, some others. They can make a strong enough coalition to rule, because now nobody needs more elections.’’
7. Various of people, birds around park fountains
STORYLINE:
Bulgarians in Sofia on Monday morning reacted to the news that the GERB centre-right party of three-times prime minister Boyko Borissov is the likely winner of Bulgaria’s parliamentary election, as well as the vote for European Parliament.
Exit poll results showed the party placing first on Sunday. The exit poll conducted by the Gallup International pollster showed the GERB party with approx 23% of the votes, apparently edging out the reformist coalition between the We Continue the Change party and the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria.
“I went to vote with expectations of a change and responsible people to win but unfortunately we have more of the same,” retired citizen Svelta Todorova said on Monday.
Citizen Alexandra Tsekova added that she was not happy with the results.
"What I would have liked was more people to vote in a different way, so to have a real change because these promises we heard since we were kids, but we’re not kids anymore," Tsekova said.
Projections show a record-low voter turnout. Initial results are expected on Monday, but it could take days before the final official results are announced.
If they confirm the exit poll, Borissov will be handed a mandate to form his fourth cabinet. It looks, however, that it will be an uphill task for him to find allies to form a governing coalition in a fragmented parliament.
Political analysts predicted that the results did not exclude the possibility of another election.
The ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party, a strong opposition to any actions against Putin’s Russia, is seen as widening its parliamentary presence at home to 15% of the seats and is also expected to send for the first time at least three representatives to the European Parliament.
AP Video shot by Nicolae Dumitrache
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