Bulgarian elections will not ease government formation

Significance

While the presidential election is the scheduled five-yearly poll, the November parliamentary election comes about after elections in April and July failed to resolve political deadlock. Bulgaria is polarised around the personalities of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and incumbent President Rumen Radev.

Impacts

• Rising COVID-19 infections and the lowest vaccination level in the EU create a context conducive to the search for quick fixes.
• The anti-Borisov protest wave is increasingly balanced out by polarisation around Radev’s alleged ambitions.
• A focus on the record of caretaker governments in charge since May will partially deflect scrutiny of Borisov’s eleven years in government.