Political Chaos Leads Bulgaria to Seventh Snap Election in 3 Years

Negotiations on the formation of a government in Bulgaria failed after the vote in June. Therefore, the next early elections in Bulgaria will soon be called again. This will be the seventh early election in the last 3 years, Bloomberg writes.

"This is not only irritating, but also unlocks destructive processes."

After failing three rounds of mandates to try to form a coalition government, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will now have to call voters to the polls within the next two months after appointing an interim government to carry out normal day-to-day business.

The political chaos has hampered Bulgaria's progress towards joining the euro and accessing EU funds. This paves the way for less mainstream politicians who are sympathetic to Russia and sceptical about further EU integration.

These upheavals are rooted in the problem of corruption, which Bulgaria has not been able to solve in 17 years of membership in the European Union. At the same time, the EU has pushed Bulgaria to clean up its politics and make state institutions more transparent and accountable. Nevertheless, many influential politicians still have ties to wealthy businessmen with dubious and often criminal backgrounds. This fuels a climate of mistrust that makes it difficult to form a fully functioning government.

The poorest EU member state has not had a stable government since 2021, when Bulgarians took to the streets to protest corruption that had diminished the authority of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who had led the country for 12 years. Although his party has lost its ability to win a parliamentary majority, it remains the largest political movement in the country. This makes it almost impossible to form a functioning government without Borisov's support, which is unpleasant for new players who do not want to be associated with corruption scandals and shadowy oligarchs.