Exit polls predict neck-and-neck race between center-right and populists in Bulgarian parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections in Bulgaria have not yet produced a clear winner. Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s centre-right party GERB is slightly ahead of the populist ITN, but the difference is not comforting.

According to Alpha Research, the Borisov party won 23.5% of the vote, while Gallup International got 22.1%. According to polls, ITN achieves about 22 percent.

This is the second time this year that Bulgarians go to the polls. In April, Borisov’s party received 24.2% of the vote. Since GERB did not have a majority in Parliament at that time, a coalition had to be formed, but negotiations on this soon bogged down. In the end, a second ballot became inevitable.

calf support

Compared with the results of April, this election was less favorable to Borisov. Although his party’s chance of becoming the largest, support is dwindling a bit. ITN’s populist rate has risen from 19 to 22 percent in just a few months.

This party is led by the famous singer and TV presenter Slavy Trifonov, and was founded in 2019 due to dissatisfaction with the Borisov government. In April, Trifanov refused to cooperate with his opponent.

protests

Last year, there were several protests against the Borisov government in the Parliament building in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Then thousands of protesters demanded his departure because of the country’s problems. Borisov in particular was blamed for rampant corruption.

Since Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, much of the money earmarked for investment in the country has disappeared into the pockets of businessmen and politicians. Attempts to tackle corruption and nepotism in the country have so far proven ineffective.