Ilia Lazarov, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), said after voting that the president and vice president need will, spirit and knowledge in a crisis.

Lazarov voted at School No. 119 in Sofia for a presidential ticket he considers worthy of both posts. He said he voted "for the future of Bulgaria".

The president is commander-in-chief of the army, so his word counts in a crisis, Lazarov said. The head of state also has a key role in the Consultative Council for National Security and in relations between state bodies. Under the constitution, the vice president stands in for the president in some situations and has other duties too.

Lazarov said the next president will have to hit the ground running because of the war 300 km from Bulgaria, the problems in the Persian Gulf and the situation in the Black Sea. He said a huge economic crisis is coming that will hit the whole economy.

Lazarov said he has worked in the presidential institution and knows what the head of state has to do. In his view, the ticket he chose has the qualities, knowledge and skills for the posts. He said the two must be able to make decisions and have intellectual depth and life experience.

Lazarov put the low turnout down to a campaign "polluted by various kinds of compromising material". He said the material went in all directions and drew attention away from what matters. The talk should have been about how people see the president's role, how the candidates would run the institution and what they would do in it.

Lazarov said the vice president's role should not be underestimated: "The vice president is a person who can be used as a mediator with other countries, and so must be able to express themselves well."