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Victory, but possible loss of the absolute for Borisov
© APA / AFP
In Bulgaria, parliamentary elections began on Sunday amid the third crown wave. A total of 6.7 million voters were asked to elect 240 deputies to the Sofia People’s Assembly. Almost 7,000 candidates participated. The election will decide whether Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s ruling bourgeois pro-European party, GERB, will remain in power in the poorest country in the EU.
Last summer, there were street protests against the GERB coalition government with nationalists as junior partners over corruption allegations. Since predominantly Orthodox Bulgarians will not celebrate Easter for four weeks this year, the choice will not clash with family celebrations. Mobile ballot boxes are provided for voters in hospitals or in corona quarantine. However, pollsters feared that voter turnout could be low due to the pandemic.
The polls gave the ruling GERB party a good chance of winning the election. But he is likely to lose an absolute majority and need coalition partners to continue ruling. According to polls, up to seven parties and coalitions, some of which are antagonistic to each other, could overcome the four percent hurdle to enter parliament. The Socialists (BSP) that grew out of the ex-Communists can count on becoming the second strongest force.
Polling stations are open from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm local time (5:00 am to 6:00 pm CEST). Only after its closure will forecasts based on voter surveys be published after the vote. Final official results can be expected within four days after the election.
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