Mayor hopefuls woo Sofia

The race for the Mayorship of Sofia is hotting up as it moves into the final lap, with all the candidates stepping up their respective campaigns before the city goes to the polls on October 29th.

It is safe to say that whatever you believe to be the most pressing issues in our fair city, there is at least one of the 15 candidates who is promising to tackle it for you: stray dogs? You'll be voting for Minko Gerdzhikov of the United Democratic Forces. Want "poetic" leadership? Then you'll be inclined toward Milen Velchev of the Simeon II National Movement. The campaigning has not been without humour thus far; Tatyana Doncheva of the Socialist party presented her opponent Boyko Borissov with some gym equipment in the hope that he "may use it to pump up his rating".

Regardless of the result, many Sofians are already dreading the voting period: the authorities have banned the sale of alcohol from 10pm on October 28th for 24 hours, in order to ensure that "Sofia votes with a clear head"...