Far Right Tipped To Gain Ground As Jaded Bulgarians Vote Again

Muhammad Irfan Published October 27, 2024 | 06:30 PM

Sofia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Oct, 2024) Bulgarians voted Sunday in their seventh election in less than four years, with little hope of an end to political turmoil that has favoured the country's far right.

The European Union's poorest member state has been at a standstill since 2020, when massive anti-corruption protests brought down the cabinet of conservative three-time prime minister Boyko Borisov.

Six consecutive votes since then have so far failed to yield a stable government.

Borisov's GERB party once again looks set to top Sunday's vote, currently polling at around 26 percent.

"The people want a government, stability, and security," Borisov said as he voted, wearing jeans and a black jacket.

But chances are high that GERB will struggle to find partners to govern.

Voter turnout is also expected to be low, amid fears of electoral fraud.

During the last election in June, turnout hit its lowest since the end of communism at just 34 percent.

Some 9.55 percent of voters had voted by 11 am local time (0900 GMT) compared with 8.34 percent at the same time in June's elections.

Voting began at 7 am and the first estimates will be released when polls close at 8 pm.

"I hope more people will come: the weather is nice and that makes me think something can change," 74-year-old pensioner Magdalina Yotova told AFP as she voted.