Bulgaria holds fourth parliamentary election in 18 months
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Loading... - Qian Huang
- 03 Oct 2022
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Bulgaria is holding its fourth parliamentary election in 18 months on Sunday, this time with galloping inflation and rising energy prices on the minds of voters.
Public opinion polls forecast that up to eight parties could clear the 4% hurdle for entry into parliament. Pro-Russian and nationalist parties such as Vazrazhdane (Revival) are expected to gain ground.
The biggest vote-getter is likely to be the center-right GERB party of former three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who left office after elections in April 2021 amid corruption allegations and street protests.
Polls show the centrist We Continue the Change (PP) party in second. Kiril Petkov, party leader, was serving as prime minister until his liberal-socialist government was toppled in a no-confidence vote in June, paving the way for Sunday's elections. A caretaker Cabinet now governs in Sofia.
A large pool of voters told pollsters they were undecided.
Even if Borisov's GERB places first, the win is unlikely to be big enough to govern alone. But finding coalition partners could prove tricky. The PP has already rejected a coalition with the GERB.
The fallout from Russia's war on Ukraine has dominated the election campaign in the southeastern EU country. The freeze on deliveries of Russian gas, rising prices and a dispute over arms deliveries to Kyiv have shaped the debate. Read More…
