{"text":[[{"start":6.8,"text":"Bulgaria’s Russia-friendly interim president Iliana Yotova is projected to stay in power after elections on Sunday, even as Moscow’s escalating strikes against Ukraine have reached her country’s shores."}],[{"start":19,"text":"Yotova was ahead with over 57 per cent of the vote, while her pro-western rival, Andrey Gyurov, was expected to have secured just under 40 per cent of the ballots cast, according to an estimate by Alpha Research. Turnout was very low, at 29 per cent, according to the electoral commission."}],[{"start":36.24,"text":"Yotova, a 62-year-old former journalist and EU lawmaker, has served for the past nine years as vice-president under Russia-leaning leader Rumen Radev, who resigned as president in January to run for prime minister."}],[{"start":49.4,"text":"Radev formed Bulgaria’s first stable government in years after a landslide victory for his Progressive Bulgaria party. Under the Bulgarian constitution, the premier has the more powerful role compared with the president."}],[{"start":61.92,"text":"If confirmed by final results, Yotova’s victory would consolidate Sofia’s pivot on Ukraine — after Radev pledged to end arms exports to Kyiv and refrained from criticising Moscow for its attacks in the Black Sea after several commercial ships were hit near the Bulgarian coast."}],[{"start":77.48,"text":"In the final days of her campaign, Yotova reinforced her pro-Russia messaging, saying that “everyone should call President [Vladimir] Putin” and described herself as a “president of peace”."}],[{"start":87.88,"text":"Drone attacks have sunk several ships off the coast of Bulgaria and Romania in recent weeks, killing or wounding dozens of sailors and drawing the war closer to Nato waters. A container ship carrying hazardous goods was struck 21 nautical miles off the Bulgarian coast on Wednesday."}],[{"start":104.44,"text":"Radev has suggested Russia was behind two attacks on cargo ships near its waters in October. His government has not taken any steps, however, in response to that suspicion."}],[{"start":114.66,"text":"With turnout near a record low, the pro-Russia far-right Revival party claimed that its mobilisation efforts tipped the scales in favour of Yotova."}],[{"start":122.96,"text":"Centrist voters tended to back Gyurov, said sociologist Dobromir Zhivkov from research agency Market Links, but were outnumbered."}],[{"start":129.28,"text":"Vessela Tcherneva, deputy director of the European Council on Foreign Relations said protesters who took to the streets by the hundreds of thousands and swept away the last government had not shown up when the presidency was at stake."}],[{"start":143.56,"text":"Tcherneva said: “They know the new leaders won’t be able to take Bulgaria out of the EU or Nato and they don’t care about geopolitics further.”"}],[{"start":152.68,"text":"She added that Radev, with an absolute majority in parliament and a friendly president, faced no limitations executing his anti-corruption agenda and delivering a long-overdue reform of the justice system."}],[{"start":165.76,"text":"“Whether he can be trusted with that task remains to be seen,” she said. “He has a great opportunity and a great responsibility.”"}],[{"start":176.77,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1793583206_6490.mp3"}