On October 17, just eight days ahead of the October 25 presidential elections, a gathering of numerous diaspora organizations in Turkey took place at Istanbul’s Sheraton Hotel, featuring prominent Bulgarian political figures Korman Ismailov, Todor Tagarev, and Traicho Traykov.
According to sources cited by Glasove, presidential candidate Andrey Gyurov participated via a direct video link, though the event was omitted from the official campaign schedule of the “Gyurov–Kandev” ticket. Two of the Bulgarian attendees—Ismailov and Tagarev—are members of the initiative committee that nominated the presidential pair of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev.
Key Political Figures and Unannounced Proceedings
Ismailov previously served as minister of transport and communications in Gyurov’s caretaker cabinet, while Tagarev served as minister of defense. The meeting also was attended by Traicho Traykov, mayor of the capital’s Sredets district, who previously served as minister of economy, energy, and tourism, as well as caretaker energy minister in Gyurov’s government.
Discussions in the hall were conducted in Turkish. Ismailov delivered his address in Turkish to the representatives of the diaspora organizations, while an interpreter was provided for Tagarev and Traykov to translate the campaign speeches.
Gyurov addressed the room live via video connection. Despite the participation of the presidential candidate and two members of his initiative committee, the meeting did not figure in the published official campaign program.
The Absence of Public Announcements
According to information provided by Glasove, no announcement regarding Gyurov’s remote participation appeared on the campaign’s social media profiles. This lack of public disclosure stands in sharp contrast to the regular coverage afforded to the ticket’s other electoral events.
While public meetings with citizens inside Bulgaria receive advance announcements, photographs, and detailed information, the gathering with diaspora organizations in Turkey yielded no official statements through standard campaign channels.
