Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane and a presidential candidate, said the result of the presidential election was to be expected given such low turnout. He spoke at a briefing at the party's headquarters in Sofia. The runoff is on 1 November, and he said the outcome depends largely on Vazrazhdane voters.
On Friday, Alpha Research expected turnout of around 40%. It put Kostadinov and Petar Volgin in third place with 12.8% of those firmly decided to vote.
What happened before: Alpha Research expects about 40% turnout in presidential vote
Kostadinov began by thanking those who voted for Vazrazhdane. He also thanked voters who came back to the party, some of whom backed Radev in earlier elections. The party's result is up on the parliamentary vote six months ago, and four times what it won in the presidential election five years ago.
The biggest drawback of the campaign was the low turnout, Kostadinov said. The party's aim was to get as many people as possible to vote. He said the state has a basic problem, and that trust in it, in politicians and in the ruling parties is in crisis again. Bulgarians now do not believe that anything depends on them.
"To overcome this crisis, we need not political schemers but statesmen who think generations ahead," Kostadinov told BTA.
He said that in less than six months many of Radev's voters have become convinced that their expectations of him were not justified. He does not speak of a catastrophic collapse, but he notes a loss of voters, which he calls very bad because the state is under threat.
The others will have to take account of voters who want a free, independent and peaceful Bulgaria, Kostadinov added.
The party will announce its stance on the runoff after the final results, but only if someone asks for its support. Without a request, there will be no support, Kostadinov said. "You can't stay neutral when it comes to our home," he told BTA.
If no one asks for its support, the party's decisions are made collectively.