Bulgarians go to the polls — yet again

Voters in Bulgaria are choosing a new government for the seventh time in just over three years. A very low turnout is expected amid widespread disillusionment and voting fatigue.

Bulgarians headed to the polls for general elections on Sunday, with pro-Russian and far-right groups expected to make gains amid the country's political instability.

The elections were called after the seven groups elected to the legislature in a June vote did not succeed in forming a workable coalition.

Turnout is expected to be extremely low, with polls showing that only 10% of Bulgarians have confidence in the election system, well below the EU average of 62%.

Pro-Russian party looms large

Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's center-right GERB party is tipped to finish first with around 25% of the vote. However, GERB is likely to struggle to form a viable coalition amid a splintered Parliament.

Analysts believe that the main pro-Russia party, Vazrazhdane, has a good chance of becoming second-largest group in the legislature.

Vazrazhdane wants Bulgaria to lift sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine and for the country to cease its aid to Kyiv, while also calling the country's NATO membership into question. 

It has gained popularity since proposing a Russian-inspired law banning LGBTQ "propaganda" that was passed by a large majority in Parliament in August.

Pollsters see the We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria bloc, which seeks to bolster the country's position in the EU, as coming in third place.

Bulgaria has been an EU member since 2007, but is at risk of losing billions of euros in EU recovery funds because of its lack of reforms.

It has yet to join the eurozone and be fully integrated into the open-border Schengen zone.

Widespread corruption

The country is one of the poorest and most corrupt EU states, and efforts to combat graft have been largely stymied by a judiciary that is seen as often acting in the interest of certain politicians.

The country has been in a period of political instability since 2020, when Bulgarians took to the streets across the country in protest at the takeover of state institutions by oligarchs enabled by corrupt politicians.

That instability, along with disinformation coming from Moscow, has fostered the popularity of pro-Russian and far-right groups in the former Soviet satellite state.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT). Exit poll results will be announced at the end of voting at 8 p.m., while preliminary results are expected on Monday.

tj/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)