The parliamentary elections in Bulgaria have not yet yielded a clear winner. Ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s centre-right GERB party has a slight lead over the populist ITN party, but the difference is not comfortable.
According to the Alpha Research agency, Borissov’s party wins with 23.5 percent of the vote, Gallup International holds it at 22.1 percent. According to the polls, ITN achieves around 22 percent.
It is the second time this year that Bulgarians have gone to the polls. In April, Borissov’s party received 24.2 percent of the vote. Because GERB did not obtain a majority in parliament at the time, a coalition had to be forged, but negotiations about this soon came to a halt. In the end, a second ballot became inevitable.
Support calved
Compared to the results in April, these elections have been less favorable for Borissov. Although his party still has a chance of becoming the biggest, support is waning slightly. The populist ITN climbed from 19 to 22 percent in just a few months.
That party is led by popular singer and TV presenter Slavi Trifonov and was founded in 2019 out of dissatisfaction with Borissov’s government. In April, Trifanov refused to cooperate with his rival.
Protests
Last year, there were several protests against Borissov’s government at the parliament building in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Thousands of protesters then demanded his departure due to the problems in the country. Borissov was especially blamed for the widespread corruption.
Since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007, much of the money intended for investment in the country has disappeared into the pockets of businessmen and politicians. Attempts to tackle corruption and favoritism in the country have so far proved ineffective.
–
