No enthusiasm for voting

last updated 8 January 2015

Sofia, Bulgaria

Only 38 percent of Bulgarian voters went to the polls for the presidential election this week, the lowest turnout since the fall of communism in 1989. Of the votes that were cast, incumbent Georgi Parvanov took 60 percent, but he must still face a run-off because at least half the voters need to turn out for a victory to be declared in one round. Analysts attributed the paltry showing partly to Parvanov’s large lead in the polls and partly to the lack of any charismatic alternative. The one issue many Bulgarian voters have been fixated on is joining the E.U.; now that they have been invited to join next January, apathy has set in. Parvanov will face ultranationalist Volen Siderov, who got just 20 percent in the first round and is given no chance of winning.