Bulgaria's Borissov Vows to Form Cabinet as Deadlock Remains

Bulgaria’s influential former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov vowed to form a government after winning Sunday’s snap election, even as he lacks the majority needed to bring an end to political paralysis.

(Bloomberg) — Bulgaria’s influential former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov vowed to form a government after winning Sunday’s snap election, even as he lacks the majority needed to bring an end to political paralysis. 

His Gerb party won 26.3% of Sunday’s snap vote, according to a 99% ballot count sample conducted by the Alpha Research pollster. The election was Bulgaria’s seventh in less than four years. 

Borissov’s main challenger, an alliance running on an anti-corruption platform led by ex-Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, came second with 14.4%. The nationalist Revival party, which has repeatedly echoed Kremlin talking points and wants Bulgaria out of NATO, took 13.3%. Due to these close margins, the runner-up may change as first official results come in the next hours.

Bulgaria has been in a stalemate since 2021, when anti-graft protests put an end to Borissov’s political dominance after more than a decade. Since then, a series of short-lived administrations, both elected and caretaker, have run the EU’s poorest country. They have had to grapple with the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while trying to keep Bulgaria on its path to adopt the euro. 

“We are committed to forming a government,” Borissov told reporters in Sofia on Sunday night. His chances of success are “100%, as of today,” he added.

That’s easier said than done. Most parties have repeatedly refused to collaborate with Borissov, leaving him limited options to return to office despite a series of election wins. 

“Two parties are not enough” for a ruling majority, Boryana Dimitrova, managing partner at Alpha Research, told BNT. “They’ll have to look for a third one. The question is which one,” as some of the parties are “incompatible in principle,” she said.

Eight factions will enter parliament according to Alpha’s poll. One more small anti-establishment party could join them when final results are released. 

Borissov vowed on Sunday to work with everyone except Revival due to ideological differences. However, frustration with mainstream parties has boosted Revival’s success — its number of voters has grown fourfold since 2021.

The series of inconclusive elections has disengaged voters. While Sunday’s turnout didn’t reach a record low, only 37.5% of voters cast a ballot, according to the poll.

Borissov will be the first to receive a mandate to form a government from President Rumen Radev. If Gerb fails to secure support, the mandate will be offered to the second-biggest party. 

If that fails, Radev — a NATO-trained general known for his Russia-friendly stances — will then have to invite another party to form a government before he will be obliged to schedule a new election. Analysts do not rule out another parliamentary election next spring. 

(Updates with Borissov’s comments starting from first paragraph, parallel ballot count from second.)