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| Europe | |
| Bulgaria PMÂ’s party set to win runoff | |
| 2011-10-31 | |
GERB’s candidate Rosen Plevneliev won 40 percent of the vote in last week’s first round after a campaign blighted by rallies against the Roma minority and corruption, highlighting problems facing the European Union’s poorest state. Plevneliev, 47, previously manager of a major building company is widely expected to beat Socialist Ivailo Kalfin. A win would remove the possibility of government-initiated legislation or appointments being vetoed by Socialist president Georgi Parvanov who has often criticized the cabinet. “The cause in this election is very strong and important — speeding up Bulgaria’s development,” Plevneliev said after casting his ballot, as quoted by GERB in a statement. Analysts say Prime Minister Boiko Borisov is unlikely to risk potentially unpopular overhauls of areas such as health care and pensions but will focus on keeping tight fiscal discipline and carrying on with large-scale infrastructure improvement. He will also be keen to demonstrate Bulgaria’s progress by ensuring it joins the EU’s passport-free Schengen zone, from which it has been blocked due to corruption concerns, before the 2013 election. If elected, Plevneliev plans to set up councils to monitor economic policy, as well as much-needed reform of the justice system. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |