Bulgarians vote Sunday in their seventh election in less than four years, with dim hope of an end to political turmoil that has favoured the country's far right. The European Union's poorest member state has been at a standstill since 2020, when massive anti-corruption protests brought down the cabinet of conservative three-time prime minister Boyko Borisov. Six consecutive votes so far have failed to yield a stable government.
Borisov's GERB party once again looks set to top Sunday's vote, currently polling at around 26 percent. But chances are high that GERB will struggle to find partners to govern. Voter turnout is also expected to be low, amid fears of electoral fraud.
Five months ago, turnout hit its lowest since the end of communism at just 34 percent. According to a recent opinion poll, about 60 percent of Bulgarians surveyed view the political deadlock as "extremely alarming". On the streets of the capital Sofia, the rising voter apathy was palpable.
"We're fed up, that's for sure," said Aneliya Ivanova. "We're tired of being stuck in a carousel that goes round and round, and every time it's the same result," the 33-year-old IT worker told AFP. The political turmoil -- which is unprecedented since 1989 -- has also favoured the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party.
The pro-Russian party is currently polling at 13-14 percent, rivalling the liberal reformist PP-DB coalition, which has lost ground with each new snap vote. Vazrazhdane appears to have gained voter support af.
