In a first reaction after results from exit polls were announced, Boiko Borissov (GERB) told reporters that the three parties in the coalition had committed a betrayal of Bulgaria by allowing thousands of Turks to come in to vote. He said that many parties had sent people to Sofia to talk nonsense and Borissov said he was grateful to the people of Sofia that they had not listened.

Slavi Binev, Ataka's candidate, said that people in Bulgaria seemed to prefer "eating promises rather than something real". This should change, he said, and said that he had not had enough time to explain all his ideas, but vowed to persist with his message.

A spokesperson for the camp of the Democratic Party candidate Titi Papazov said that it was surprising that populism had triumphed in Sofia, especially because Papazov was a good candidate who spoke his mind. The DP had not supported Zaimov because it had not been invited to do so, the spokesperson said, but denied that the right-wing was split.

Brigo Asparouhov, the BSP candidate who placed third in the Sofia election, said "we need to listen to what people are saying" and attributed the BSP loss to the party going through a crisis. The election result was an outcome of a democratic process, Asparouhov said.

BSP Sofia unit head Roumen Ovcharov said that the outcome was much worse than had been expected. He said that the people who had chosen Boiko Borissov to be mayor of Sofia were those who had stayed at home.

Plamen Yuroukov, leader of the Union of Democratic Forces, which jointly nominated Martin Zaimov along with the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, said that Zaimov's result was very good. He said that Zaimov had not been the "DSB candidate" but was a truly joint candidate, and said that the UDF had no problems in working with the DSB. Yuroukov said that Borissov's victory was no surprise because he had been working towards it for seven years.

Ataka leader Volen Siderov, speaking to sofiaecho.com, highlighted his party's performance in the Black Sea city of Bourgas where it will go to a second round. Siderov said that Ataka had done "very well" in Sofia.

Zaimov asked, " in the name of Bulgarian voters and Sofians" for forgiveness for not doing better. Sooner or later his political group would win, and he said that parties with dictatorial leadership such as GERB did not have a future. As intelligent people, we shall work together, Zaimov said.