More eligible voters have cast ballots in Bulgaria's presidential runoff vote as of 13:00 on Sunday, officials say.

Activity was 27.2%, or more than 1.847 million people, as of that hour, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) data.

The figure is higher than both the one in the first round, when 26.2% of all eligible voters had taken part, and the 26.73% that had gone to the ballot boxes in the 2011 runoff vote.

The numbers also come under new rules that made voting compulsory and entered into force earlier this year. However, the only sanction is removal from the electoral roll of those who did not take part in two elections of the same kind, be they presidential or parliamentary.</s>Presidential candidate of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Rumen Radev walks with his wife Desislava after casting his vote at a polling station during a presidential election in Sofia, Bulgaria, November 13, 2016. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Former Bulgarian air force commander Rumen Radev won the decisive round of Sunday’s presidential elections in Bulgaria, exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International showed.

Radev, 53, backed by the opposition Socialists, won 58.1-58.5 percent of the vote, compared with 35.3-35.7 percent for Tsetska Tsacheva, the 58-year-old candidate of the ruling center-right GERB party, the polls said.</s>Bulgarian socialist ally Rumen Radev, a Russia-friendly newcomer to politics, won yesterday’s presidential election by a large margin, exit polls showed, possibly paving the way for months of political instability in the small Black Sea state.

A former air force commander, Radev campaigned on strong anti-migrant rhetoric and an argument that it was in the country’s interest to find a balance between the requirements of its EU membership and better ties with Russia.

Radev, 53, backed by the opposition Socialists, won 58.1-58.5 per cent of the vote, compared with 35.3-35.7 per cent for Tsetska Tsacheva, the 58-year-old candidate of the ruling centre-right GERB party, the polls showed.

The general’s strong showing could undermine the minority government of Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, who has signalled he may resign if Radev wins the election.

If he doesn’t, opposition groupings could call for a parliamentary no-confidence vote in his cabinet.

“The main conclusion is that hope and desire for change won over fear, which both Borisov and GERB tried to propagate,” said Zhelyo Boichev, a senior Socialist party politician. Radev has benefited from discontent with the government over his perceived failure to make significant progress in rooting out corruption, as well as slow public-sector reforms. – (Reuters)</s>SOFIA: Bulgaria’s centre-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov stepped down Sunday (Monday in Manila) after his presidential nominee suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a Moscow-friendly general backed by the Socialist opposition.

Observers say the surprise win could tilt ex-communist Bulgaria, which has long walked a tightrope between Moscow and Brussels, towards Russia’s orbit — a trend seen across eastern and central Europe amid rising euroscepticism.

Nearby Moldova also looked set to elect a pro-Russian president on Sunday.

“I will hand in my resignation tomorrow or the day after,” Borisov told reporters.

“The results clearly show that the ruling coalition no longer holds the majority.”

The announcement is likely to trigger early elections by next spring and risks plunging Bulgaria into renewed political turmoil just two years after Borisov and his GERB party took office for the second time.

It came shortly after projections showed that ex-airforce chief and political novice Rumen Radev had swept close to 60 percent of ballots in the presidential vote. Borisov’s nominee ex-parliament speaker Tsetska Tsacheva obtained just over 35 percent.

“It’s a victory for all Bulgarian people. Democracy has beaten apathy and fear today,” Radev told public broadcaster BNT on Sunday evening.

The straight-laced Tsacheva meanwhile failed to sway disgruntled voters seeking to punish the government over its perceived failure to tackle rampant corruption and poverty in the European Union’s poorest member state.

“I voted against Borisov because I don’t think that he’s honest and he hasn’t really done anything to improve our lives,” said 52-year-old Zora Kardachka, a dry-cleaner.

Gallup director Parvan Simeonov said the outcome was a “clear protest vote”.

Despite promised reforms, graft and poverty remain rife in the EU’s poorest member state, while public anger has also grown over thousands of migrants currently stranded in Bulgaria.

“Bulgaria needs a new face, someone who defends national interests instead of always saying ‘Yes’ to the European Union and the United States,” businessman Assen Dragov, 39, told AFP after casting his vote in Sofia.

The Bulgarian president’s role is largely ceremonial but the incumbent is nonetheless a respected figure and commander-in-chief of the NATO member’s armed forces.

National security and preventing a new migrant influx featured prominently in Radev’s campaign, which saw the general gain confidence and project himself as a fierce critic of the conservative status-quo.

His clear support for the lifting of EU sanctions on Russia over Ukraine and ambivalent statements about the EU and NATO have prompted analysts to speculate that he could pursue closer ties with Moscow.

“General Radev’s victory represents the unfolding of a pro-Russian scenario in Bulgaria so that the country supports Russian interests in the EU and NATO,” political expert Antoniy Galabov told Agence France-Presse.

In his victory speech, Radev reiterated his support for scrapping sanctions against Russia.

“I will closely work with the government and EU colleagues to achieve the lifting of the sanctions,” he told a press conference on Sunday evening.

He also praised new US president-elect Donald Trump for “seeking more dialogue with Russia” and President Vladimir Putin.

“This gives a lot of hope for reducing (the risk) of confrontation, particularly in Syria” where Russia and the US are backing opposite sides in a bloody civil war, Radev said.

His victory signals a change of direction from outgoing President Rosen Plevneliev, a strong critic of Moscow.

The incumbent head of state warned Sunday that Russia was trying to “destabilise Europe” by financing anti-EU ultra-nationalists in Balkan states including in Bulgaria.

“The (climate) is more dangerous now than during the Cold War,” he told Austrian media.

Radev is due to take office on January 22 for a five-year term. His first job will likely be to call early elections, after Borisov said Sunday he would refuse to form an interim government. AFP</s>Former air force commander Radev won 59.4 percent of the vote, compared with 36.2 percent for the candidate of the ruling center-right GERB party, Tsetska Tsacheva, with 99.3 percent of polling stations counted.

The results, which reflected exit polls, meant Radev will take office for a 5-year term on Jan. 22 next year.</s>A newcomer to politics, Rumen Radev's anti-migrant, pro-Moscow message has struck a chord with Bulgarians disheartened with European Union membership as the bloc battles the rise of nationalist parties and Britain's decision to leave.

"Until recently I flew on a Soviet jet fighter. I have graduated from a U.S. academy. But I am a Bulgarian general. My cause is Bulgaria," Radev said ahead of Sunday's contest for the largely ceremonial post that pits him against the ruling GERB party's candidate, parliament speaker Tsetska Tsacheva.

The latest opinion polls showed 53-year-old Radev, who is backed by the opposition Socialists, about 10 percentage points ahead of Tsacheva, 58, after his unexpected victory in last Sunday's first round ballot.

Radev has benefited from discontent with the center-right government of Prime Minister Boiko Borisov over his perceived failure to make significant progress in rooting out corruption, as well as slow public sector reforms.

Borisov has vowed to step down if Radev wins on Sunday, a move likely to swing the country back to political instability and prompt snap polls probably in the spring, which could further delay reforms and spook investors.

While most of the country's decisions lay with the government, the president, who leads the armed forces, can sway public opinion and has the power to send legislation back to parliament.

Former air force commander Radev is not advocating NATO member to abandon its Western alliances, mindful of the financial impact of EU aid and the country's long history of divided loyalties.

But he has called for an end to EU sanctions against Russia and said Bulgaria should be pragmatic in its approach to any international law violations by Moscow when it annexed Crimea.

"People are concerned about what his agenda really is as he is sending contradictory messages. Radev is softer on Russia, at least in part to meet the Russophile sentiment among some of the electorate, but yet I think he is 100 percent pro-NATO," a Western diplomat in Sofia told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Many in the Balkan country are keen to see restored trade with their former Soviet overload, hurt by economic problems and sanctions, and protect vital tourism revenues.

Although Bulgaria's economy is expected to grow at a relatively healthy rate of about 3.1-3.3 percent this year, having shaken off recession in the wake of the global financial crisis, it remains the EU's poorest member, with average wages about 470 euros per month.

Rampant graft in public administration is seen as a key factor slowing the small Black Sea state's progress in catching up with its wealthier EU peers.

Opinion polls published on Thursday showed Radev winning 49.6-51 percent of the runoff vote for the largely ceremonial post against parliament speaker Tsacheva's 39.1-40 percent day. Because voting is compulsory in Bulgaria, voters can choose neither candidate.

Voting starts at 7.00 a.m. local time and polls close at 8.00 p.m.
Bulgarians head to the polls in a presidential runoff between BSP backed Rumen Radev, of the socialist opposition, and Tsetska Tsacheva, Chairwoman of the National Assembly, from incumbent prime-minister Boyko Borisov's conservative GERB. Exit polls by Alpha Research and Gallup International show Radev with about 58 percent of the vote with Tsacheva getting around 35 percent.