Bulgarian | The close result in the parliamentary elections augurs more political instability

In Bulgaria, the fifth general elections in two years ended with a close result and a slight advantage for the reformist and pro-European bloc, over the conservative populist GERB party. A scrutiny is marked by the rise of pro-Russian ultranationalists. Just a few tenths separate the alliance of former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov from that of also former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. If the results are confirmed, the formation of a stable government will once again be complicated.

Low turnout in the elections

The elections were characterized by a low turnout of only 38% of voters. Kiril Petkov’s PP-BD formation would have achieved 26.9% of the votes, with a slight advantage compared to 26.7% for the Boiko Borisov formation

Milen Zhelev, a political analyst at the University of Sofia, considers that: “The two parties and coalitions that obtained the best results have the same Euro-Atlantic positions on the war in Ukraine and on Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone and Schengen. I think not They are going to sit at the same table and form a coalition. That is why I think we will continue with the same political crisis in Bulgaria.”

Also tied for third place

Behind the two large blocks and tied for third place are the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and the Vazrazhdane party, (Resurrection) formation in favor of the Kremlin war, both with up to 14.2%.

The DPS, backed by the Turkish and Roma minorities, would join the majority. Its leader Mustafa Karadayi declared: “Don’t expect us to set any red lines, we ask for dialogue at the national level.”

The pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party opts for an isolated opposition

Pro-Russian nationalists have already opted for an isolated opposition. Its leader Kostadin Kostadinov assured that: “The only government we are willing to support is ours.”

Bulgaria needs stability to maintain EU recovery loans

Bulgaria needs stability to carry out institutional reforms demanded by the EU, under penalty of losing the 5 billion euro recovery plan.

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