Ex-Communists win in Bulgaria

Bulgaria has an ex-King as its Prime Minister and an ex-Communist as its President.

Georgi Parvanov, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (ex-Communists) is set to be confirmed as the winner of the second round of Bulgaria’s presidential elections on Sunday.

Polls indicate that Parvanov will have reached between 51.9% and 56% of the vote, beating standing President Petar Stoianov, who presented himself as an independent candidate.

The previous Sunday, Parvanov had managed to achieve 1.5% more than Stoianov in the first round.

A 44-year-old historian, Georgi Parvanov was elected leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in December, 1996. He has led the party to its first election success since the regime changed in November, 1989. He moved away from the hard-line radical wing and is in favour of Bulgaria joining NATO.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY PRAVDA.Ru