MEP Nikola Minchev says PP and DB remain close allies despite their differences in ideas. He told Bulgarian National Television (BNT) that Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev widened support for the two parties, even though the presidential election result was a disappointment. "Otherwise both PP and DB remain the closest political allies in a rather difficult political situation in the country," he said on the morning show "The Day Begins".

On Sunday, after the 1 November runoff, Gyurov accepted the result and called it surprising.

More on this story: Gyurov accepts runoff result but calls it a surprise

Minchev was elected on the PP-DB list and sits in the Renew Europe group. He was on the initiative committee for the Gyurov-Kandev ticket. He and Gyurov have known each other since their first years in politics and sat together in the 47th National Assembly. Gyurov was earlier a deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

Anyone who runs in an election wants to win, and a loss brings disappointment, Minchev said. He said Gyurov and Kandev won more votes than PP and DB combined in the April parliamentary election, and so widened the reach of both parties. Work in parliament will go on as before.

PP and DB are now separate, independent political groups. Clashes of ideas between parties are normal, or there would be no point in staying apart, the MEP said. He said the gap between PP and DB is within reasonable limits and is mainly one of ideology: DB is further to the right, while PP is closer to the centre.

In the election, everyone was "in the same boat", Minchev said. He put himself in Gyurov's team and added that the two have always stood on the same side. The ticket's campaign did not aim to stir up hatred against its main rivals.

Criticism after a defeat is healthy, and there is room to do better even after a win, Minchev said. He named no one as personally to blame. The parties that backed the candidates and the candidates themselves should both weigh what could have been done better, he said, but the talk should happen in private first, not straight away in front of the cameras.

Minchev said he would be glad to see Gyurov stay in active politics, as he was before the BNB. In what form is up to Gyurov himself, who should be the first to say what he wants. The MEP said talks on the coming local elections should also start now, after the presidential vote.

Asked about criticism by Radev, Minchev said MEPs should not check with the government, because their mandate comes from voters, not from the cabinet.

"That we should repeat in Europe whatever Rumen Radev says — I'm sorry, but I don't think that is right," he said.

Minchev thinks Bulgaria's reaction to events in the Black Sea was inadequate. He said the problem is that the aggressor was not named, and that the comments that followed could be read as accusing Romania.