Results plunge Balkan country into deeper uncertainty after a prior inconclusive vote in April, writes Politico. Bulgaria’s political deadlock is likely to continue after no clear winner emerged from Sunday’s national election — the country’s second in three months.
The center-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is running neck and neck with the anti-establishment There Is Such a People party (ITN), at 23.91 percent and 23.66 percent respectively, according to partial results with around 95 percent of the votes counted by Bulgaria’s Central electoral commission.
The Socialists are in third with 13.63 percent, followed by the anti-corruption Democratic Bulgaria party at 12.55 percent. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), an ethnic Turkish party, is set for 10.59 percent, and Rise Up, Out with the Crooks is at 5.04 percent.
The snap vote was called following a prior inconclusive election in April, after which no party managed to drum up enough support to form a majority, ultimately ousting Borissov as prime minister and prompting the installation of a caretaker government in the meantime. While Borissov’s party had emerged as the biggest in the last ballot, winning 26 percent of votes, it was shunned by other groups.
Political observers say Sunday’s tight results are likely to pose a similar challenge to the two leading parties.
ITN, led by popular television host and entertainer Slavi Trifonov, has been vying to bring an end to the decade-long dominance of Borissov in Bulgarian politics, and appears better positioned to forge a Cabinet. The former singer is expected to seek the support of the two small anti-corruption parties, Democratic Bulgaria and Rise Up, Out with the Crooks, which gained traction during a massive wave of anti-government protests last year. However, such an alliance would not constitute a majority in parliament, together collecting less than 42 percent of the vote.
Even if political parties are able to form a new government and avoid yet another snap election, analysts warn parliament will still be volatile with six parties occupying seats.
