Local elections in Bulgaria were held on 29 October 2023. Mayors and municipal councillors across the country were elected.
Electoral system The elections to Bulgaria's municipal councils are conducted via proportional representation with an open list preferential voting system.
The mayoral elections take place within the context of a majoritarian two-round system. The first round of the elections will be held on 29 October. If no candidate in a given constituency manages to gain 50% of the vote, a runoff election will be held for that constituency in the second round on 5 November.
Voting is officially mandatory, but in practice there is no punishment for failing to vote and the law itself isn't strictly enforced.
Voters further have the option to vote against all proposed candidates.
Contesting parties and Results
Name Ideology Position Leader(s) 2023 result Seats BND Bulgarian New Democracy Conservative liberalism Centre-right Valery Timov DNP Svoboda Freedom Bulgarian nationalism Right-wing Vladimir Simenov DNP Zelenite Green Politics Anti-corruption Syncretic Vladimir Nikolov DD Direct democracy Syncretic DNP DnG Movement for Our Cities Local politics Centre Atanas Kalchev DNP Volya Volya Bulgarian nationalism Right-wing populism Right-wing Veselin Mareshki DNP Revival Revival Ultranationalism Russophilia Far-right Kostadin Kostadinov 13.58 NDPS National Movement for Rights and Freedoms Turkish Minority interests Centre DNP Euroma Euroroma Romani Minority interests Centre Tsvetalin Kanchev DNP BSD Bulgarian Social Democrats Social democracy Centre-left Georgi Atanasov Mariya Dobreva DNP BSDE Bulgarian Social Democracy -Euro Left Social democracy Centre-left Aleksandar Tomov 0.10 SDS Union of Democratic Forces Christian democracy Conservatism Centre-right Rumen Hristov (GERB-SDS) KOD Conservative Union of the Right National conservatism Right-wing populism Right-wing Petar Moskov 0.29 ONB National conservatism Right-wing Margarit Mitsev DNP OBT Social democracy Labourism Centre-left Yekaterina Atanasova DNP Pravoto Anti-corruption Russophilia Syncretic Mariya Koleva DNP BDS-R Bulgarian Democratic Union-Radicals National conservatism Right-wing Tsvetan Manchev DNP Georges Day George's Day Movement National conservatism Right-wing populism Right-wing Dragomir Stefanov(GERB-SDS) PDS Political Movement "Social Democrats" Social democracy Center-left Yelena Noneva DNP ZS "AS" Agrarian Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" Social democracy Agrarianism Center-left (Levitsata!) OZ United Agrarians Liberal conservatism Agrarianism Center-right Petya Stavreva (PP-DB) NI! We are Coming! Anti-corruption Syncretic Nikolay Hadjigenov DNP BV Bulgarian Rise National conservatism Syncretic Stefan Yanev2.93 KB Conservative Bulgaria National conservatism Right-wing Boris YachevDNP BPL Bulgarian Progressive Line Democratic Socialism Left-wing (Levitsata!) BG Bulgarian Voice Anti-corruption Right-wing populism Syncretic Georgi Popov DNP MIR Left-wing nationalism Center-left 0.10 GN Peoples Voice Right-wing populism Right wing Svetoslav Vitkov0.21 DPS Movement for Rights and Freedoms Turkish minority interests Liberalism Centre Mustafa Karadaya13.58 Velichie Greatness Anti-corruption Syncretic Albena Peskova DNP VMRO VMRO-BNM National conservatism Bulgarian nationalism Right-wing to far-right Angel Dzhambazki DNP BSDP BSDP Social democracy Centre-left DNP BZNS BZNS Agrarianism Centre Iliya Zyumbulev DNP SDP Social Democratic Party Social democracy Centre-left Todor Barobolov SP Socialism Left-wing nationalism Far-Left 0.03 SSD Union of Free Democrats Conservatism Centre-right Milan Lilanov DNP DNB Movement "Forward Bulgaria" Conservatism Syncretic Zoritsa Atanasova DNP ATAKA Ataka Bulgarian nationalism Russophilia Far-Right Volen Siderov (Neutral Bulgaria) BDF Conservatism Centre-right Zhaklin Toleva DNP ITN There is Such a People Conservatism Right-wing populism Right-wing Slavi Trifonov 4.11 NV Liberalism Centre Miroslav SevelievskiDNP DDD-DZ Movement of Democratic Action Liberal conservatism Centre-right Stefan IvanovDNP SBOR Syncretic Politics Syncretic Dimitar Iliev DBG Bulgaria for Citizens Movement Liberal conservatism Centre to Centre-right DNP GERB GERB Conservatism Populism Centre-right Boyko Borisov26.9 NDSV National Movement for Stability and Progress Liberalism Centre Stanimir Ilchev0.27 SPS "Zashita" Union of Patriotic Forces "Defense" Bulgarian nationalism Right-wing Petar BeronDNP Edinstvo Liberal conservatism Center-right Nikolay IvanovDNP RZS Order, Law and Justice Right-wing populism Right-wing Yane YanevDNP ZNS Agrarian People's Union Agrarianism Centre-right DNP BUDD Direct democracy Syncretic Georgi Nedelchev 0.10 SEK Middle European Class Liberal conservatism Center-right Konstantin BachiyskiPP-DB "Citizens for the Communities" Bulgarian Workers-Peasants Party CommunismMarxism-Leninism Far-Left Georgi Georgiev Yordan Maldzhanski DNP EuroscepticismPopulism Syncretic "Together for Strong Communities" Republicans for Bulgaria Conservative liberalism Center-right Tsvetan Tsvetanov DNP "Green Union" Green Politics Center DNP Levitsata! Stand Up.BG Social liberalismSocial democracyCenter-left Maya Manolova 2.23 Alternative for Bulgarian Revival Social democracy Moderate social conservatism Center-left Rumen Petkov ex-BSP faction Social democracy Center-left Movement 21Social democracyCenter-left Tatyana Doncheva Neutral Bulgaria Russophiles for theRevival of the Fatherland RussophiliaNational conservatismSyncretic 0.42 Communist Party of Bulgaria CommunismMarxism-LeninismFar-left Aleksandar Paunov Bulgarian Communist PartyCommunismLeft-wing nationalismFar-left Zonka Spasova Party of the Bulgarian CommunistsCommunismMarxism–LeninismFar-left Collective leadership New ForceBulgarian nationalismFar-right Collective leadership "Bulgaria of the Regions" Anti-corruption Center DNP NPPB Local politics of Haskovo DNP BSP for Bulgaria Bulgarian Socialist Party Social democracySocial conservatismCenter-left Korneliya Ninova 8.93 Ecoglasnost Green politics Center-left Southern Bulgarian regionalism Left-wing nationalism Center-left Stefan Nachev Alternative for the Citizens Green Party Green politicsCenter-left Mariya Dragomiretskaya DNP Bulgarian Left Democratic socialismLeft-wing Collective leadership Social-democracyCenter-left Yordan Gergov Movement for Social HumanismSocial-democracyCenter-left Tsevtan Minkyovski PP-DB We Continue the Change LiberalismAnti-corruptionCenter Kiril Petkov Assen Vassilev 24.56 Volt Bulgaria Eurofederalism Center Nastimir Ananiev Yes, Bulgaria! Economic liberalism Anti-corruption Center-right Hristo Ivanov Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria Liberal conservatism Atlanticism Center-right Atanas Atanasov Green Movement Green politics Green liberalism Centrist Vladislav Panev
Local parties & coalitions
Name Location Ideology Unification for Plovdiv Bulgarian Cause Plovdiv Local politics Georgi Tityukov New Leaders Plovdiv Local politicsDirect democracy Ivanka Miteva RzSR Development for Septemvri and the Region Septemvri Local politics Radoslav Lyutakov SzP Union for Plovdiv Plovdiv Local politics Liberal conservatism Yevelin Paraskov Veselin Kozarev BzR Future of the Motherland Stara Zagora Local politics Stanislav Popov DzPP Movement for the Prosperity of Pernik Pernik Local politics Stanislav Vladimirov SS Spasi Sofia Sofia Local politics Anti-corruption MORE More Nesebar Local politics Rural interests Peycho Kolev
Mayorship of Sofia
The 2023 Sofia mayoral election took place as part of Bulgaria’s local elections, with the first round held on 29 October 2023 and a runoff on 5 November 2023. Voters in Bulgaria’s capital elected a new mayor to succeed long-serving incumbent Yordanka Fandakova from GERB who had held the office since 2009.
The main candidates were
Vasil Terziev — candidate of the reformist coalition We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria – Save Sofia. He is a tech entrepreneur and co-founder of software company Telerik. Vanya Grigorova — backed by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and allied left-wing parties. Anton Hekimyan — candidate from the center-right GERB–SDS coalition (eliminated in the first round).
Other candidates included nominees from Revival, Blue Sofia, and ITN, but none advanced to the runoff.
Opinion polls for Mayor of Sofia
Polling firmFieldwork dateSampleVasil TerzievAnton HekimyanDean NikolovVanya GrigorovaVili LilkovOthersNone ofthe aboveLeadPPDBSSGERBSDSRevivalBSPLevitsata!ЕСТАТ29.09-9.10 202380027.818.720.66.47.2CAM21–25 Jul 20231,21233.422.712.010.64.87.92.710.7 No candidate secured an outright majority in the first round, leading to a runoff between the top two finishers. In the runoff on 5 November, Vasil Terziev won with 48.2 % of the vote, narrowly defeating Vanya Grigorova, who received 46.9 %. The victory margin was one of the tightest in recent Sofia elections. A small share of voters (about 4.9 %) chose the “I do not support anyone” option.
Terziev’s win marked a political shift in Sofia, ending nearly two decades of dominance by the conservative GERB party in the capital.
Results First round
According to Central Election Commission the number of people who voted on 29 October totaled 2,713,979 or 44.94% of eligible voters. The turnout was 49.76% in the 2019 local elections. The invalid ballots in the 29 October, 2023 elections totaled over half a million, including 412,711 ballots for municipal councilors, 94,195 for municipality mayor (down from 128,204 in 2019) and 34,235 for mayoralty mayor.https://www.bta.bg/en/news/bulgaria/560753-over-2-7-million-voters-and-half-million-invalid-ballots-in-oct-29-elections
In general, GERB had the strongest showing throughout the country, although the party failed to make it to the second round in the capital.
Second round Overall, GERB won 11 regional towns, PP–DB won four, and the Bulgarian Socialist party won three. Of the largest four cities, PP-DB won in the capital (Sofia) and Varna while GERB won in Plovdiv and Burgas. Sofia
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