Bulgaria's President-Elect - Runner-up Margin Shrinks to 5%
The results from the first input of 98% of the protocols of the voting polls show that the candidate of the ruling GERB party, Rosen Plevneliev, had won the presidential runoff with 52.5% of the votes.
Plevneliev's top rival - Ivaylo Kalfin, candidate of the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) is second with 47.5% of the votes.
The latest update was announced at 7:30 am Monday by Ralitsa Negentsova, spokesperson of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC).
The protocols are processed twice before official results can be announced. The deadline set by the law is 48 hours after the closing of the polls.
Bulgaria's Presidency will play the role of a center-forward for the country's national priorities, promised President-Elect Rosen Plevneliev. "We are declaring our will for a modern statehood and for speeding up the European development of Bulgaria," Plevneliev declared at his first news conference as President-Elect in the election night.
"We understood clearly that politicians are success when they build trust. I hope that the leaders of the other parties will realize that the aggression and the past don't bring victories. Future and European development bring future," vowed the 47-year-old former construction entrepreneur turned technocratic politician.
"Bulgaria will have an active, dynamic Presidency with open doors for civic institutions and regions. We want the Presidency to become a center for priorities and solutions,' Plevneliev declared, adding the Presidency will be accumulating know-how and non-partisanship.
"We've made a commitment to work solely for the unity of the Bulgarian nation," he explained, promising wide-ranging reforms in the retirement system, healthcare, judiciary, the state administration, and the introduction of e-government./Source: Sofia News Agency/