Bulgaria election: Conservatives lead polls, early results show

The GERB Party looks set to need a coalition partner in order to form a government

Former Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov addresses the media after voting at a polling station during the general elections in Sofia, Bulgaria on Sunday, October 27, 2024. AP

Former Bulgarian prime minister Kiril Petkov casts vote in Sofia. AP

Former prime minister Boyko Borissov, head of the GERB Party, talks to the press after voting in Bulgaria's parliamentary elections at a polling station in Sofia. AFP

Boyko Borissov votes at a polling station in Sofia. Reuters

A man holds a child at a polling station in Sofia, Bulgaria. Reuters

A voter casts his ballot at a polling station during the Bulgarian general elections in Sofia. AP

A woman holds her child to put her ballot into the box at a polling station in Custendil, Bulgaria. EPA

The party of conservative former prime minister Boyko Borissov has again come first in Bulgaria's seventh general elections in less than four years, according to exit polls on Sunday.

Mr Borissov's GERB Party won between 25 and 27 per cent of the vote, followed by the reformist coalition PP-DB at about 15 per cent and the ultranationalist Vazrazhdane party at around 13 per cent, polls indicated.

Bulgarians voted on Sunday in their seventh snap election in four years and opinion polls suggest it is unlikely to break a political deadlock that has slowed economic reforms in the European Union's poorest member state.

Bulgaria has voted for short-lived governments since 2020, when anti-corruption protests helped to end a coalition led by the centre-right GERB.

“I don't think they will form a government” after the election, Marin Kushev, 69, said after casting his ballot in Sofia. “I don't believe them (politicians).”

Latest opinion polls suggest that, once again, no single party will win a parliamentary majority, setting the stage for another round of difficult and prolonged coalition talks.

“People want security and stability. We have sunny weather today, so people should go out and vote. We will see what will happen after the polls close,” Mr Borissov told reporters after casting his ballot.

“I have 40 years of working experience and I am getting 700 leva ($400) per month as a pensioner,” said Iordanka Metodieva, 73, a pensioner who voted in Sofia. “Life is hard.”

Bulgaria needs a period of stable, well-functioning government to accelerate the flow of EU funds into its infrastructure and nudge it towards adoption of the euro.

Plans to join the eurozone have already been pushed back twice because it missed inflation targets. Accession is currently scheduled for January 25, 2025.

“A fragmented parliament and long-standing political rivalries will complicate the formation of a functional and stable government,” political risk consultancy Teneo said in a note on Thursday.

“Protracted political chaos might translate into growing voter disappointment with mainstream political parties in favour of populist, nationalist and pro-Russian ones.”

Sunday's vote was triggered by the failure of Bulgaria's political parties to agree on a coalition government after an inconclusive June 9 election.

PP-DB leader Kiril Petkov invited people to vote on Sunday.

“I am sure of one thing: Bulgaria has to move forward, and if this is to happen, it is up to all Bulgarians,” he said.