Early elections may not yield results to overcome Bulgaria’s political crisis

By Ihvan Radoykov

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AA) - Early elections on Sunday may not yield results that can allow Bulgaria to overcome its political crisis.

According to the polls, at least eight of the political parties in Bulgaria will be able to pass the 4% electoral threshold and be represented in parliament.

A poll by Mediana research revealed recently, former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) would win around 27% of the votes and hence be the biggest party in parliament.

As this percentage is not enough for Borisov to form a single-party government, he will need the support of other parties, none of which explicitly stated such intention so far.

Meanwhile, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (HOH) continues to command vast support of the country's Turkish minority and is forecast to receive over 10% of the votes.

HOH, which in the past took part in the coalition governments led by GERB, did not present a clear position so far.

On the other hand, GERB’s prominent political rival, We Continue the Change party, is expected to gather around 17% of the votes. As such, even with the likely support of the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria party, it will not be able to form a government.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which used to be the country’s second-largest party, is expected to gather only over 9% of the vote.

BSP, along with the far-right Revival party, is also known for its pro-Russian stance in Bulgaria.

The elections will be the fourth in two years for the country, which has been marred by political instability since Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s government was toppled in a no-confidence vote in June.​​​​​​​