Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 03 October 2016: Bulgarian Prime Minister promises resignation if his presidential candidate loses

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said that he will resign if the candidate of his ruling party, GERB, loses in the first round of the presidential elections, which will be held on 6 November. Parliamentary Speaker Tsetska Tsacheva was announced as GERB's candidate for the presidency with Vice Admiral Plamen Manushev as the candidate for Vice President. Tsetska Tsacheva was the chairwoman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in the 41st National Assembly, the first woman to ever chair the National Assembly of Bulgaria. She joined GERB in 2006, year after she was its candidate for the mayor of Pleven.

Boyko Borisov told reporters that he will resign the same evening if GERB loses the first round elections. He also added that " in every race, we choose the candidate who is the most prepared". He argued that despite low ratings Tsetska Tsacheva and Plamen Manushev are well prepared for their jobs. After the announcement of her candidacy, Tsacheva said that in case if elected she will work hard for the interest of all Bulgarian citizens.

GERB has defined itself as a Christian-democratic party and stated that its ideology is similar to the German Christian Democratic Union. It is currently the most popular political party in Bulgaria with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov as its head and leader. The acronym of GERB stands for "Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria". According to recent opinion polls, GERB is perceived as the party that stabilizes the economy and provides steady inflows of EU aid.

Present President of Bulgaria Rosen Plevneliev was elected as a president in October 2011 with GERB's support. His priorities are administrative reforms, energy efficiency and removing the ambassadors of Bulgaria in other countries who have served as secret agents during the communist regime. In May 2016 he announced that he will not run for re-election.

GERB's rival Bulgaria's Socialist Party does not have the candidate but is supporting Rumen Radev who is the nonpartisan politician. Another female candidate, Tatyana Doncheva, has been put forward by the National Movement for Stability and Progress. Doncheva is a jurist a former Member of Parliament.