Sunday night’s election in Bulgaria produced no clear winner, much to the dismay of voters who have run for office five times in the past two years.
In the first release of results, it appeared that the pro-Western coalition Sustainable Change and Democratic Bulgaria had won a narrow majority with 26.4 percent, defeating the center-right establishment party GERB, which scored 25.5 percent. But in a recount, the former scored 24.8 per cent while the latter took the lead with 25.9 per cent.
Observers expect a clear winner to emerge by Monday after all international voters’ ballots are counted.
vote is seen by many as a Make-or-Break Tests for GERBwhose leader Boyko Borissov served as prime minister from 2009 to 2021, until nationwide protests erupted over his government’s role in the country’s rampant corruption.
Continuing the transformation, led by Harvard graduates Kirill Petkov and Esen Vasilev, and Democratic Bulgaria, led by Hristo Ivanov, has campaigned on the promise of making Bulgaria a “European country” by raising the standard of healthcare and education, and building up the judiciary. And the prosecutor’s office independent. He is a favorite among young voters.
If the country once again fails to form a functioning government, it could undermine its hopes of joining the eurozone in the future and effectively access its EU Covid recovery aid.