Bulgaria faces coalition challenges as GERB wins snap election
The centre-right GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, won Sunday's snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, securing 25.1-26.4 per cent of the votes, according to two exit polls. GERB achieved a similar result in previous elections, where they failed to form a government coalition.
These were Bulgaria's seventh parliamentary elections since April 2021, and between seven and nine parties potentially entered the new parliament.
Exit poll results
Exit polls conducted by Gallup Int. Balkan and Alpha Research indicate that the centrist coalition We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria holds the second position (14.9-15.4 per cent), while the radical, pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party is in third place (12.9-13.8 per cent).
Following closely with results ranging from 7.3 per cent to 8.7 per cent are the parties of the Turkish minority: Movement for Rights and Freedoms-New Beginning and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, as well as the left-wing BSP coalition.
Next is the populist party There Is Such a Nation (7 per cent). On the verge of the 4 per cent electoral threshold is the populist party Velichie.
Gallup does not rule out the possibility of another small formation entering the 240-seat National Assembly, making coalition negotiations even more challenging than in the past three years.
The final results, which the Central Election Commission will announce on Wednesday, are expected. Following their announcement, President Rumen Radev will convene consultations with parliamentary parties and set a date for the constitution of the new parliament, after which the parties will begin coalition talks.
There is no shortage of media forecasts suggesting these talks may prove unsuccessful again, potentially leading to further elections in the spring. Commentators on public television have even suggested a probable date: 30 March 2025.
Voter turnout was slightly higher than expected but remained low. According to the CEC, three hours before the end of voting, it was 28.5 per cent, while Alpha Research reported it at 35.5 per cent an hour before the polls closed.
