Election-weary Bulgaria votes for sixth time in three years

  • 6/9/2024
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SOFIA: Bulgarians voted on Sunday in a sixth parliamentary election in three years, with little expectation that the poll will put an end to political instability in the Balkan EU member. As support for a reformist coalition has plunged, former prime minister Boyko Borisov’s conservative GERB party looks set to remain the main political player in the EU’s poorest member. But GERB is likely to continue to struggle to find partners to govern after massive anti-corruption protests in 2020 ended Borisov’s almost-decade-long rule. Analysts see high chances for the country’s worst political instability since the end of communism to endure, with yet another snap election in the autumn. This threatens to further delay reforms necessary to unlock EU funding and integrate fully into the Schengen area of free movement — and to frustrate voters further. “We are weary of elections, and we want some stability and some prosperity for the country,” Margarita Semerdzhieva, a 72-year-old pensioner, said, echoing the comments of others who spoke to AFP outside a Sofia polling station.

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