Bulgarian election delivers another fragmented parliament

Bulgaria’s sixth vote in three years delivers yet another fragmented parliament.

The centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party is on course to win the most votes in Bulgaria’s snap election, but it will need at least two coalition partners to form a government.

With 64 percent of votes from Sunday’s election counted, GERB enjoyed a strong lead, having won 23.65 percent of the vote. That illustrated that the results of Bulgaria’s sixth election in three years were unlikely to put an end to the political instability that has plagued the country in recent years.

The Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF), mainly representing Bulgaria’s large ethnic Turkish minority, with 15.89 percent of the votes and pro-Western bloc We Continue the Change (PP), with 15.08 percent, were neck-and-neck for second place. The ultranationalist Revival party stood on 14.33 percent.

That leaves GERB to try to put together a government that can implement much-needed reforms to anchor the country more deeply in the European Union. The vote was triggered by the collapse in March of a coalition comprising GERB and the PP that lasted just nine months amid arguments over judiciary reforms among others.

“No one achieves success without acknowledging the help of others. We are confident and acknowledge this help with gratitude. Thank you, GERB! Thank you to all of you who supported us!” Borissov wrote on his Facebook page after exit polls came out.