Политика

The run-off for the November 18 presidential elections in the municipality of Velingrad was attended by 51% of all 34,882 voters. For presidential candidate couple Petar Stoyanov - Neli Kutskova voted 9396 people, and for Georgi Parvanov - Angel Marin 8463 (the data are from the parallel census of local organizations of BSP and UDF and do not include the vote in the village of Gorno Dubevo, which cannot significantly change the final result).

The election day passed under normal organization and calm. The decisive week between the two rounds was also calm. The structures of the BSP were really active this week. At an election meeting with MP Georgi Pirinski on November 13, the Socialists reported that they had to win the elections in the city and bet on this strategy. Two days later, DPS MP Dr. Dzhevdet Chakarov reduced to the local DPS asset the order to vote for G. Parvanov. At the other pole - among the party organizations that declared support for P. Stoyanov, the campaign continued minor and without much mobilization. Supporters of both Stoyanov and Parvanov broadcast their election addresses in local radio and television. In the evening after the end of the election day, BSP and UDF were counting intensively in the building of the Old Council. In front of the TV in the rooms of BSP was the entire party asset led by the leader Toma Pachalov. In the room of the UDF briefly appeared the mayor and leader of the blue Tsvetan Dafov, longer remained the chairwoman of the BZNS-NS Ekaterina Kaferinova. High was the degree of emotions in the room of IMRO and Gergyovden, where headed by V. Elichin and K. Vacheva also monitored the election result in the municipality. Not a single person from the local elite of DPS and NDSV showed up. The final results for the municipality of Velingrad repeated two trends from the first round. Petar Stoyanov held and slightly increased his lead over Georgi Parvanov within 4-5%. It was repeated and even more distinctly the fact that the city strongly supported the Parvanov - Marin tandem, and the villages from the municipality, also categorically, turned the vote in favor of Stoyanov - Kutzkova. From the presidential elections BSP - Velingrad came out with the justified self-confidence that it won in the city by over 1,700 votes. Only 6 polling stations remained "blue" - 5 in Ludgene and one in Chepino. In all other urban sections, the "red" ballots, including the sections in the two large Roma neighborhoods of Anezitsa and Asphalt Base, prevailed. BSP is working in the right direction to win the city, especially after feeling the local moods and lack of motivation in DPS. At the other pole remained the situation in the villages. Again, as in the first round, Draginovo presented the greatest gift of P. Stoyanov, and in his face, saved the self-esteem of the local UDF. In the second round, a total of 1,380 ballots were cast in the four sections in Draginovo for the current president and only 211 for G. Parvanov. Behind this extremely distinct vote are local sentiments, but also an undoubted trend: the direction of the central leadership of the DPS for the support of the socialist candidate was not followed in the municipality of Velingrad. In Sarnitsa 709 people gave a vote for Stoyanov, 304 for his opponent; in Sveta Petka the ratio is 537:94. The final results show that in a predominantly "red" vote was only Tsvetino, in Cholakovo and Ablanitsa there is a minimal lead. Bulletins in the villages brought to light the dissension that has long existed in the municipal organization of the DPS. For the first time in years, the movement failed or did not want to put its proverbial discipline into action. In the first round, only 621 votes received their candidate Reneta Indzhova, in the second round to own "red" ballots for Georgi Parvanov in the villages DPS has added about 1000 votes. The low value of this support is seen in the comparison with the bulletins for P. Stoyanov - 4200 or with the traditionally voting for DPS in parliamentary elections about 4500 people in the area. Regardless of Petar Stoyanov's victory in the runoff in the municipality of Velingrad, the local structures of the UDF and their leaders should feel the vote in the city as an ice cold shower. More than sobering is the crushing difference of 1,700 ballots in favor of the BSP just months after the parliamentary elections, when the difference between the two major political forces here was within 100 votes. It is also a testament to the quality of the election campaign in favor of Petar Stoyanov and more precisely to the lack of one. The pride that Velingrad remained one of the few "blue" municipalities in the district strongly embittered by the vote of the "citizens" and because of the proven over the years rule that voting in the local villages is most often also the result of a momentary conjuncture, not a hard electorate. Last but not least: the results of the presidential elections in Velingrad are an indicator of the status of the NMSS and its strategic goals. Whether from employment in the government of the country, but here NDSV did not make a campaign for P. Stoyanov and this helped G. Parvanov. The vote in Velingrad is not "representative" for the country and is part of the big challenge facing Georgi Parvanov - to show and prove that he is not only the new president, but also the president of all Bulgarians. Elena Baeva