Bulgarians voting in their second presidential election in seven years are faced with an economy in its worst crisis since 1989, when a revolution drove out the communists.
The personalities of the two leading candidates in Sunday's election are important. But it is hardly surprising that pollsters find the economy is the biggest concern to voters.On the eve of the election, President Zhelyu Zhelev appeared on national television urging Bulgarians to vote - "overcoming apathy and disillusionment."
Of 13 candidates running for president, only two have a serious chance of winning: Ivan Marazov, of the ruling Socialist Party, which is made up of former Communists; and Peter Stoyanov, the joint candidate of the anti-communist opposition parties.