Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s conservative GERB party has won parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. After counting 99 percent of the vote, his center-right party won 25.4 percent of the vote, according to data released on Monday. The liberal movement “Continue the change” (PP) of the deposed in June
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov came in at 20.2 percent in Sunday’s election. According to experts, coalition negotiations are likely to be difficult. Borissov, who was Bulgaria’s prime minister from May 2017 to May 2021, was forced out after mass protests last year.
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Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections were the fourth in the EU member state in less than two years. Petkov’s government collapsed in June after just six months in office. One of the four parties had left the coalition and there was no support for a minority government.
In 2021, Bulgarians have already been called to elect a parliament three times. The election campaign was dominated by the war in Ukraine and uncertain gas supplies. The EU country is historically and culturally closely linked to Russia.