Mayor of Nessebar transported from custody for swearing-in ceremony

The first meeting of the newly elected Municipal Council in the seaside town of Nessebar was held on November 11. However, the mayor Nikolai Dimitrov, who was elected mayor, is in custody in Sofia and was brought under escort. Dimitrov and two of the newly elected municipal councilors have been charged with involvement in an organized crime group for vote buying. Nikolai Dimitrov is said to be the leader of the group.

Dimitrov and the councilors were transported in a convoy of armoured vehicles from Sofia for the swearing-in ceremony.

This way, Nessebar mayor-elect will be sworn in for a fourth term in office, followed by many questions about who will hold the post and how Dimitrov will perform his duties as mayor.

One option is to sign the orders and manage the municipality from the detention facility, the other option is to sign an order instructing one of his deputies to perform this functions. The third option is for the Municipal Council to elect a person to perform the functions of mayor while Dimitrov is in custody.

Dimitrov was arrested before the October 27 local elections in Nessebar. He won in the first round of the elections with nearly 60% of the vote. Standing as an independent, he won the majority of the votes, defeating the candidate of GERB party, who got just less than 36%, and a candidate from a local party, who got just less than 2%.