Election body clears PM Radev in tight 8-7 vote – Democratic Bulgaria to appeal
After a marathon session, Bulgaria's Central Election Commission found no breach of the Electoral Code in Radev's backing for Yotova. Democratic Bulgaria says it will challenge the ruling in court.
Archive image · Photo: 内閣官房内閣広報室 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday evening found no administrative violation by Prime Minister Rumen Radev. At issue was a statement Radev made on Oct. 26 after attending the Sofia Economic Forum, according to BTA, which the government press office later distributed. In it he backed presidential candidate Iliana Yotova. The decision passed 8-7 after hours of debate. Complaints had been filed by, among others, the initiative committee of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev and by NGOs – more than 120 in total, according to BNT.
The majority argued that the remark was made neither in a state institution nor during the campaign and therefore did not amount to campaigning, BTA reported. The commission referred questions about the use of government channels to the National Audit Office. Members Vyara Todeva and Alina Dobreva dissented, saying the problem was distribution via the Council of Ministers' website and social media. Dobreva warned of a dangerous precedent; both called for the video to be removed from the government page.
The Democratic Bulgaria (DB) alliance said it would immediately appeal. According to BTA, DB said the majority was formed with votes from Progressive Bulgaria and Revival. "The CEC cannot become an institutional shield that protects power from scrutiny," the statement said. The runoff between Yotova and Gyurov takes place on Nov. 1.