BULGARIA-Political Paralysis Set To Continue, Pro-Russia Party Scores Well

Bulgaria's 2 April general election failed to deliver a clear majority coalition, meaning that what was the country's fifth general election in two years may not be the last snap vote any time soon. The populist conservative GERB-Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) alliance led by former PM Boyko Borisov won a plurality of seats, but is unlikely to find enough coalition allies to form a majority gov't.

• Without a stable, pro-EU gov't the prospect of Bulgaria joining the eurozone recedes further into the distance, while the lack of a 2023 budget bill and the likelihood of another caretaker technocratic gov't could limit Bulgaria's ability to utilise EU COVID-19 recovery funding.
• For the EU there will be some concern at both long-standing political paralysis, and the strength of the anti-NATO, eurosceptic, pro-Kremlin Revival Party, which emerged as the third-largest party in parliament with 37 seats.
• The liberal pro-EU We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition came in second place, with 67 seats to GERB's 69. Much like Borisov, though, PP heads Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev are unlikely to be able to put together a majority coalition.
• This is unless the Turkish-minority interest Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) - 36 seats - abandons its long-standing partnership with GERB in order to unite with PP-BG, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BzBSP) - 23 seats- and the populist There is Such a People (ITN) - 11 seats.

Source: Electoral Commission, MNI