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Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections will come after months of anti-government protests calling on Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to resign over allegations of corruption and non-transparent relations between the government, the oligarchs, the judiciary and the security services. In addition to reshuffling the cabinet, Borisov refused to back down, fueling fears of the prospect of his socialist opponents taking power.
“There is such a people” will be the third political force in the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria
This is what the European edition of Politico writes in an analytical article about the upcoming elections in Europe in 2021.
More than expected is at stake for these elections: To secure the support of a small nationalist party in his ruling coalition, Borisov has blocked North Macedonia’s path to EU membership, pressuring Skopje to acknowledge the opinion of Sofia that the language spoken in North Macedonia is a regional dialect of the Bulgarian language.
Later in the year, presidential elections are expected in the fall. No candidates have yet been declared, but Socialist President Rumen Radev, who opposed Borissov amid protests, has the right to be re-elected.
It remains to be seen whether a new coalition will emerge in the parliamentary race in 2021, but for now Borissov’s ruling Citizens for European Development Bulgaria (GERB) leads the polls with 28% support. The Socialist Party, led by Cornelia Ninova, ranks second after Borissov’s group with about 25 percent. To divert attention from the protests, Borissov commented on the corruption scandals of the Socialists and the failure in the fight against organized crime, which limited Bulgaria’s access to EU funds in 2008. GERB also accuses the Socialists of having close ties with the Kremlin, although Borisov also enjoyed good relations with Moscow.
No official candidates for the presidential race have been announced, but a few years ago Borissov commented that he could run for president. This could mean confronting his fierce rival, Radev, who is seizing the protests in 2020 as an opportunity to try to break Borissov’s grip on the state.
Bulgaria
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