Divided, Bulgarians vote for the fifth time in a year to elect their Parliament

A campaign poster in Sofia, March 30, 2023. REUTERS - SPASIYANA SERGIEVA

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

Bulgarians are going to ballot this Sunday, April 2, for new early general elections. Between crisis and corruption, pollsters fear a high abstention rate and a Parliament just as fragmented as on previous occasions.

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With our correspondent in Sofia, Damian Vodenitcharov

Investigations, arrests, heavy-handed raids are required before the election. In Bulgaria, vote buying is widespread. This year, like all sectors of the economy, it is also affected by inflation. The price of one vote has tripled, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdjiev said. "The evidence indicates that prices now reach €75 and payments are made in several stages. Part of the money is paid before, and another after the vote," he says.

► Also listen: "It's hard to get by": Bulgarian households concerned about rising prices

The Bulgarians, for their part, no longer have confidence in the political class. To the point of not wanting to go to the polls anymore, like Maria. "I'm hesitant to vote," she says. I no longer recognize myself in these politicians, and I am not the only one. I still have time to change my mind... There was a time when I was an activist, I always voted, I participated in meetings, but not anymore. »

While sociologists predict a turnout of less than 40%, even Bulgarians who have decided to vote say they are tired of the intransigence of politicians. "There are too many politicians in the spotlight who are not ready to compromise," Ivan said. There is no teamwork. Of course, there is corruption, but there is a lack of the will to agree.

Impossible coalition

For two years and the fall of former conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borissov after a decade in power, elected officials have not been able to put aside their differences to form a stable coalition. A slump accentuated by the conflict in Ukraine in a society historically and culturally close to Moscow, which is torn over the aid to be provided to Kiev.

Two major forces clash this Sunday: on the one hand, the conservative Gerb party of Boyko Borissov, on the other the pro-Western reformers of Kiril Petkov, a 42-year-old entrepreneur who briefly governed in 2022. And the polls put them neck and neck. Parliament is therefore likely to be just as fragmented and ungovernable after today's vote. And to have to deal with a new interim government appointed by President Rumen Radev, fiercely opposed to any support for Ukraine.

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Read on on the same topics:

• Bulgaria
• Russia
• Corruption