presidential election 2016

The text examines the campaigns and results of the presidential elections of the right-wing candidates in Bulgaria. The reasons for the surprising failure of the candidate of the largest GERB party Tsetska Tsacheva and the poor result of the candidate of the Reformist bloc Traicho Traikov are being sought. In the first case the focus is on the late rise of the GERB candidate, on the lack of personal charisma, conceptual appearance and clear cut political values. In the second case, besides the personality and campaign of the candidate, the deep division among the right parties played a part. None of the candidates on the right offered authenticity to Bulgarian citizens.

The present study analyses the presidential electoral campaigns of Ivaylo Kalfin, candidate supported by a coalition of parties around the party „Alternative for Bulgarian Revival“, and of Tatiana Doncheva, supported by the coalition ”Move- ment -21” and “National Movement for Stability and Progress”. Both of them are known personalities, confirmed politicians with their expertise, qualities of technocrats and with their criticism against the ramping populism and the risks of authoritarian and undemocratic tendencies. Despite their qualities and professional electoral campaigns, they didn’t’ have room to successfully challenging the strong protest antiestablishment and populist candidates at the first round of the presidential election held on November 6th 2016. Furthermore, they are positioned and known as politicians on the center and center-left where one of the main political forces – the Bulgarian Socialist Party raised and supported a candidate who have never been a politician, offered the alternative of a “new face” in politics and aggregated the protest vote against the GERB party. Voices of expertise, experience and professionalism have been muted by the populist candidates.