Bulgarian election: Borisov ahead again - what next?
For the seventh time since 2021 Bulgaria has elected a new parliament. As in June, Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb party came first (26.4 percent), well ahead of the reform-oriented PP-DB (14.2 percent). The far-right Vazrazhdane party (13.4 percent) and the DPS led by the controversial oligarch Delyan Peevski (11.2 percent) came third and fourth respectively. Things are not looking good for the country, Europe's press fears.
Pro-Western orientation in jeopardy
Sofia may soon be looking more towards Moscow, writes Der Standard:
“One party that has so far been excluded [as a coalition partner] is the DPS led by oligarch and media mogul Delyan Peevski: the US imposed sanctions against him in 2021 and his assets in the US were confiscated. But Peevski is hoping he will be removed from the sanctions list under a right-wing, populist Trump administration. ... If Trump wins, Borisov may also consider forming a coalition with the pro-Kremlin parties Vazrazhdane, the far-right Velichie or the Socialists. Because under Trump there will be no more pressure from Washington to strictly adhere to Bulgaria's pro-Western orientation.”
Against their better judgement
Deutsche Welle comments:
“One of the biggest political paradoxes of recent years is that almost everyone is convinced of the corruption of certain people, yet these people continue to win elections. ... According to pollsters, only about two percent of Bulgarians say they trust one of the two leading candidates [Delyan Peevski], and he is on the official US and UK sanctions lists for corrupt individuals. The other [Boyko Borisov] is not yet on these lists, but his close associates are. ... The fact that these two people nonetheless remain an indispensable factor in Bulgarian politics explains the inability to form a stable government in recent years.”
Everything hinges on a corrupt oligarch
Radio Europa Liberă writes:
“To a large extent, everything hinges on a single man: the controversial media mogul Delyan Peevski, who has an incredible influence on public opinion. ... The majority of Bulgarian politicians would probably agree that Peevski is the person who bears most responsibility for the current political crisis. ... Boyko Borisov has stated that he wants to work with the pro-European, reform-oriented PP-DB - which would probably offer a way out of the political impasse. However, the PP-DB is only willing to cooperate with Gerb provided Peevski has no influence whatsoever on the future government. Borisov has been accused several times of having very close ties to Peevski, who for many Bulgarians is emblematic of corruption and organised crime in the country.”
Deadlock is having grave consequences
Bulgaria can't afford to keep voting, emphasises G4Media.ro:
“The political crisis, which is worrying for foreign investors, means that anti-corruption reforms and the energy transition have been put on hold. There is also the threat of EU funding amounting to billions of euros not being disbursed. In addition the situation has led to membership of the Eurozone and full accession to the Schengen Area being postponed. And as far as the costs of organising the seven elections are concerned, these now total more than 300 million euros.”