The reformist bloc, made up of the We Continue the Change (PP) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) parties, is expected to struggle to form a stable coalition government.
A pro-Western reformist bloc has won the most votes in Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections, according to exit polls, but is expected to struggle to form a stable coalition government in the European Union’s poorest member state.
The reformist bloc, made up of the We Continue the Change (PP) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) parties, won about 25.3 percent of the vote on Sunday, a Gallup International exit poll showed, just ahead of a centre-right bloc led by the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who had about 24.7 percent.
The polling firm Trend estimated PP/DB at 26.9 percent and GERB, along with its smaller partner the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), at 26.7 percent.
It was Bulgaria’s fifth election in two years, as personal antipathy between the leaders of the two main blocs has hampered the formation of a stable coalition government.
The PP/DB, in particular, accuses Borissov and his GERB party of presiding over rampant corruption in the Balkan state during their decade-long rule that ended in April 2021, something Borissov denies.
The lack of a stable government could undermine Bulgaria’s hopes of joining the eurozone in the short term and making effective use of the European Union’s COVID-19 recovery aid.
Exit polls show other parties likely to enter parliament include the Bulgarian Socialist Party; the mainly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPC) party; and Revival, a nationalist party sympathizing with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the war in Ukraine.
Revival ranked third, with about 14.2 percent, according to Gallup International, potentially putting it in a kingly role in the new parliament.
The country’s political parties have been struggling to form stable coalitions since 2021, leading to a highly fragmented parliament and a series of caretaker governments.
“Nobody inspires confidence anymore,” 57-year-old Krasimir Naydenov told AFP outside a polling station in Sofia on Sunday.
He said he voted anyway, hoping “the government would start functioning again”.