In the seventh flash election in four years, the centre-right Bulgarian Gerb party, which is part of the popular family in Europe, once again won in Bulgaria. The formation led by Boyko Borissov would have obtained 26.08% of the votes, according to the partial results of 82% of the count. The reformist party We continue the change (PP) came in second place with 14.76%, while the ultra-nationalist and pro-Russian Revival party came in third with 13.8%.
These two formations were born a few weeks ago in the midst of a split in the traditional DPS party, whose strongmen, Delyan Peeveski and Ahmed Dogan, controversial businessmen, faced each other in a power struggle. In total, at least eight parties managed to exceed the 4% threshold to enter Parliament, while a final one, ‘Greatness’, will have to wait for the final votes to be counted to find out. The traditional socialist (formerly communist) party BSP had the support of 7.7% of voters; the protest group Exist Such a People (Itn) obtained 7%, while in eighth and ninth place were the populist formations Mech (4.7%) and Grandeza (4%).
Difficult alliances
Sunday’s elections were triggered by the inability of Bulgaria’s political parties to reach an agreement to form a coalition government following the inconclusive June 9 elections. Borissov thanked voters for their support and said his party would form a new executive.
“We will work together with everyone except Revival,” he said. But with so many parties in the Chamber, Borisov will have difficulty forming a three- or four-party coalition to reach the 121 seats needed to gain a majority. Most parties are at odds with each other due to personal enmities and ideological differences, whether on the issue of supporting Russia, fighting corruption or pursuing greater integration into the European Union.
Poverty and corruption
The Balkan country is the poorest in the European Union as well as the most corrupt. Bulgaria has been led by short-lived governments since 2020, when anti-corruption protests helped end a coalition led by Gerb. The nation needs a period of stable, well-functioning government to speed the flow of European Union funds into its creaking infrastructure and push it towards adopting the euro.
Eurozone membership plans have already been postponed twice due to failure to reach inflation targets. Accession is currently scheduled for January 25, 2025. Many voters said they feared further uncertainty. “Even if they manage to form a government, I don’t give them much chance to have a healthy and successful life in the next four years,” Stoyan Danin, 37, from Sofia, told Reuters.
