Bulgaria to hold snap parliamentary elections

Bulgaria will hold snap parliamentary elections today after no government was formed following the April 2021 elections.

The ruling center-right GERB party won 75 seats out of 240 in April, giving the party a plurality, though unable to form a coalition with the anti-establishment There is Such a People (ITN) or center-left Bulgarian Socialist Parties (BSP) for Bulgaria which won 51 and 43 seats, respectively. Former Prime Minister and GERB party leader Boyko Borisov’s government has been plagued by accusations of corruption which has given boosts to opposition parties like ITN.

Expect ITN to win a plurality of seats in the elections and slightly edge out GERB. Polls show a very tight race between GERB and ITN, with ITN holding a 0.3-1% lead. ITN will likely be willing to compromise with BSP and smaller parties to form a majority government to bring an end to Borisov and GERB’s leadership. An ITN-formed coalition will likely prioritize reducing corruption within the country’s government by restructuring the judicial system and taking a more stringent stance against impunity. However, given that Borisov cruised to victory on a similar anti-corruption platform in the 2009 elections, ITN’s continued commitment to sweeping reform is all but assured.

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