The political crisis grows in Bulgaria: the date of the early elections has been announced

Following the October 2022 elections, 7 parties that won the right to representation in parliament were unable to put conflicts aside and form a coalition government, and voters will have to go to the polls for the fifth time in the last 2 years.

President Rumen Radev finally took it upon himself to form the government; The pro-Russian Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), which holds 24 seats in parliament and conducts politics along the lines of the former Bulgarian Communist Party, received no support from other parties.

Immediately afterwards, Radev set the date of April 2 for yesterday’s early general elections, and with another decree announced that he would dissolve parliament from February 3.

HOW IS THE PROCEDURE GOING?

According to the Bulgarian constitution, when a government crisis occurs, the president first assigns the party, which is the largest group in parliament, to form the cabinet.

It then assigns the second largest party, and for the third and final time, another party, according to its own choice, to form a government before snap elections are called.

If a government cannot be formed in this process, the country again goes to early general elections.

IT STARTED WITH “PARLAMENTARY ROULETTE”

According to the constitutional practice called “parliamentary roulette” in the country, if the largest political party cannot form a government, this task is transferred to the second largest party in parliament.

Bulgaria’s Citizens for European Development (GERB) party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in the 240-member 48th parliament, failed to form a government in the process.

Regarding Borisov, the leader of the GERB, who ruled the country for about 12 years in the past, the former prime minister did not become a deputy due to the perception of the “representative of the underworld” in society. But other parties in parliament refused to negotiate a coalition with GERB as long as Borisov was party leader.

The Continue Change (PP) party, co-chaired by former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, who was tasked with forming the government after GERB, failed in its efforts to form a coalition that could receive a vote of confidence from parliament and failed in forming the government.

In the last stage of the process, Korneliye Ninova, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in line with the Bulgarian Communist Party, which was overthrown in Bulgaria in 1989, was unable to get parliamentary support to form the cabinet.

5 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN 2 YEARS

Citizens of Bulgaria, one of the poorest countries in the EU, are pessimistic about the 5th general elections to be held in the last 2 years.

Turnout in the new elections to be held on April 2 is expected to be extremely low.
The political crisis in Bulgaria began in the 45th legislature, which was formed after the general elections in April 2021.

Due to the inability to reach a consensus on the formation of a government between the parties, Bulgarian voters went to the polls for early elections three times in July and November 2021, and also in October 2022.

The country is ruled by interim governments that Radev has established since April 2021, as no government has been formed with a vote of confidence from parliament.

Meanwhile, Radev has appointed various political parties represented in parliament 12 times to form a government. (AA)