For the fifth time in two years, the Bulgarians were called to the polls, Sunday, April 2, for legislative elections. And the risk of political instability persists in this Balkan country, according to projections published in the evening by four polling institutes on the basis of partial counts.
The conservative Gerb party of former Prime Minister, Boïko Borissov, is credited with a very slight lead (from 24 to 26%) on the liberal list led by the former centrist leader, Kiril Petkov, (around 23 to 24%). Official figures will not be known until later in the week.
This is the worst-case scenario, says Evelina Slavkova, analyst at research firm Trend: “The closer the results, the harder it will be to form a stable government,” she explained on Nova Television.
Far from the hopes born of the wave of anti-corruption demonstrations in the summer of 2020, this state of 6.5 million inhabitants, the poorest in the European Union, is sinking into a costly political crisis unprecedented since the end of the communism in 1990. Since the fall of Boïko Borissov after a decade in power, the various parties have been unable to build a lasting coalition. A slump accentuated by the conflict in Ukraine in a society historically and culturally close to Moscow, which is torn over the aid to be provided to kyiv.
Abstention still high
The young pro-Russian ultranationalist formation Vazrajdane (Renaissance) took advantage of this geopolitical context to continue its ascent: it won 13 to 14% of the vote, compared to 10% in the October ballot. It refuses any delivery of arms to Kiev and openly defends the Kremlin’s ideology, as do the socialists of the PSB (9 to 10%), heir to the former Communist Party which once ruled the country.
Abstention was again very high on Sunday, although less than in the previous vote: the turnout is estimated at only 40%. And those who moved said they were at the end of their patience.
“I wish for a stable government, you understand? Boyan Sapunov, a 79-year-old pensioner exasperated by the succession of interim governments, told Agence France-Presse (AFP), while Krassimir Naydenov, a 57-year-old employee, said he “no longer trusts anyone. “.
The risk of new elections
For expert Andrey Raytchev, of the Gallup International Institute, “the war in Ukraine, galloping inflation, pressure from Western partners” should in theory push the first forces of the country, both pro-Western, to hear. But Lukas Macek, associate researcher at the Jacques Delors Institute for Central and Eastern Europe, says he is “skeptical about a possible outcome unless Boïko Borissov withdraws”, deeming “worrying this spiral of elections “.
“You find the same pattern as in other central European countries: a former leader who clings on, while the other parties refuse to ally with him, without however having much in common otherwise”.
The person concerned warned against new elections. “It would be suicidal, most people are calling for an end to instability,” warned Borissov, 63, who came to vote in jeans.
The man whose image as a man of the people has been tarnished by suspicions of corruption had failed to form a government for lack of allies last fall, after coming out on top in the elections. His rival and sworn enemy, Kiril Petkov, 42, wished him that Bulgaria would finally gain “the life of a normal European country” and that its citizens would stop emigrating.
If this vote is not conclusive, the Bulgarians will have to deal with a new interim cabinet appointed by President Roumen Radev, himself fiercely opposed to sending arms to Ukraine. Even if in fact the factories have been running at full speed since the Russian invasion and indirectly export ammunition via third countries.