Bulgarian President Faces Vote Again

The lowest voter turnout in Bulgaria since the fall of communism has meant Bulgaria's president will face a run-off vote this Sunday, even after winning the first round of voting in his bid for re-election last weekend.

Despite winning by a large margin, incumbent Georgi Parvanov must face his opponents for a second time in an Oct. 29 run-off because voter turnout, at 42.1 percent, was short of the 50 percent required for a first round victory.

Parvanov of the Socialist Party took 64 per cent of the ballots cast, while his main opponent, Volen Siderov, the ultraconservative leader of the anti-minority party Attack, took only 21.5 per cent of the votes, official results said Monday.

Anaylsts say disillusionment with Bulgaria's political elite and their inability to clamp down on organized crime and fight poverty has meant that most eligible voters stayed away from the polls this year.

If Parvanov is re-elected, he will be the first Bulgarian president to win two consecutive terms.