Bulgaria holds parliamentary elections

2024-10-27 12:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Bulgarians on October 27 vote in the seventh parliamentary election held in the last four years, as hopes are slim for an end to the political stalemate in the European Union's poorest state.

Voting centers are open at 07:00 and will close at 20:00.

Before the elections, a Gallup International Balkans poll, which was published by the Bulgarian National Radio, suggested that no party is expected to win a majority in these elections.

Former prime minister Boyko Borisov's center-right party, GERB, is expected to come out on top with around 26 percent of the vote. However, this party will most likely face difficulties in finding governing partners, paving the way for protracted talks on the formation of a coalition.

According to the Gallup poll, the reformist party "We continue the change" will win 16.2 percent of the vote, while the far-right and pro-Kremlin party, Rilindja, is expected to win 14.9 percent of the vote.

22 parties and nine coalitions are competing in these elections.

Bulgaria has failed to form a stable government since the country faced massive anti-corruption protests that ousted Borisov's executive in 2020.

Since then, six rounds of elections have failed to bring the country out of political deadlock.

The results of the last election, held in June, were inconclusive and politicians failed three times to form a governing coalition.

Also, in the June elections, turnout was just 34 percent – ??the lowest turnout in post-communist Bulgaria.

The Gallup poll predicts that this time the turnout will be only 31 percent.

In August, the Bulgarian president, Rumen Radev, accepted the proposal for the formation of the executive by the acting prime minister, Dimitar Glavchev, enabling the country to have an interim executive.

Glavchev was appointed acting prime minister after the government was overthrown in March.

After voting, Glavchev said that he was voting for a "stable European Bulgaria, with a stable Government that respects the Constitution and the country and follows the interests of the people"./REL