Bulgaria Elections: EU member holds seventh snap election in four years

Bulgaria, one of the poorest members of the European Union, is holding its seventh snap election in just four years. It comes as the fractured political parties in the Balkan country fail to form a stable coalition government.

Things turned south ever since the anti-graft protests in 2020 that proved influential in toppling a coalition led by the centre-right GERB party. The upcoming election should end at 1800 GMT and exit polls are expected around that time. The final results could come in days.

The latest polls released on Thursday that there is no clear victor in the election and that there are no obvious options for a meaningful coalition. Most analysts anticipate Bulgaria could be back at the ballot box early next year, unless there is anything unexpected.

Bulgaria Elections: Serious need of a stable government

Bulgaria is one of the European Union’s most corrupt states, reported Reuters. It is a Balkan country of 6.4 million people that borders the Black Sea. “There is a deep crisis of the political system,” said Professor Ognyan Minchev at Sofia University.

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Bulgaria became a member of the EU back in 2007. That development brought in a period of optimism marked by rapid economic performance and rising living standards. But the global financial crisis, COVID and the invasion of Ukraine became problematic.

The country is in a serious need of a stable government as the past challenges have dented foreign investment. Last election, GERB secured the most votes and got a chance to form a government. But it failed to form a majority coalition, and so did other parties.