SOFIA: Bulgarians voted on Sunday in their fifth general election in two years, a record in the European Union, amid deep divisions over the war in Ukraine.
Russia’s invasion of its neighbour has deepened the political crisis that has engulfed Bulgaria since 2020, the worst instability since the fall of Communism.
The poor Balkan nation of 6.5 million people is a member of the EU and NATO. But it is historically and culturally close to Russia.
The country witnessed massive anti-corruption rallies three years ago but, contrary to protesters’ hopes of a clean-up in public life, the demonstrations triggered a series of elections.
Conservative prime minister Boyko Borisov, whose decade in office was tainted by allegations of graft, lost power in 2021.
But the country’s political parties have struggled since to form stable coalitions, leading to a deeply fragmented parliament and series of interim governments.
“What if the results are the same as in previous legislative elections?” asked Silvia Radoeva, a 42-year-old care worker.
“It’s high time that politicians unite to deal with everyday problems,” Radoeva told AFP, citing “crazy prices, poverty and deplorable medical care”.
“Faced with war and inflation, (Bulgarian) society is crying out for a solution,” Parvan Simeonov, a political analyst with Gallup International, told AFP.
The fight against corruption has taken a back seat, leaving many 2020 protesters disillusioned.
The main players in Sunday’s ballot are the same as in recent elections.
The latest polls put Borisov’s GERB party neck-and-neck with the reformist We Continue the Change (PP), led by Harvard-educated Kiril Petkov, who was briefly premier in 2022.
Both have around 25 per cent support.
This time, the PP has joined forces with a small right-wing coalition called Democratic Bulgaria. – AFP
