In the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, the liberal-conservative pro-Western bloc PP-DB is ahead by a small margin, according to initial forecasts.
The electoral coalition, which acts as a reform bloc, is expected to get up to 26 percent of the votes, according to voter surveys by three opinion research institutes after the vote was cast on Sunday. If these forecasts for the fifth Bulgarian parliamentary elections are confirmed within two years, forming a stable government will be a tricky task.
The centre-right alliance GERB-SDS, which was voted out of office in 2021 after allegations of corruption, came in second with up to around 25 percent of the votes.
The razor-thin lead of the PP-DB bloc could grow with the votes of Bulgarians abroad. The two parties were involved in a four-party government with Prime Minister Kiril Petkov (PP) until June 2022, which was overthrown by a motion of no confidence.
The poorest member state of the EU has been in a political crisis for years. In 2020, months of anti-corruption protests rocked the government of then-Prime Minister Borissov, who ruled Bulgaria for almost a decade before being ousted in 2021.
Since then, all elections have resulted in fragmented parliaments, with neither party able to form a functioning government.
The forecasts could still change, the executive director of the polling institute Gallup International Balkans, Parvan Simeonov, admitted on state radio in Sofia. It is certain that five parties will move into parliament. Among them, with a good 13 percent, is the pro-Russian and nationalist party Wasraschdane (Rebirth). In view of the expected balance of power, the formation of a new government is likely to be difficult even after this fifth election within two years. (dpa)
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