The centre-right GERB-SDS party of longtime ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has won the largest number of votes in Bulgaria's latest snap parliamentary elections (held on 2 April), defeating its main electoral rival, the reformist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB). Bulgaria’s next parliament will also include four other parties: the pro-Kremlin Revival, the ethnic Turkish DPS, the centre-left BSP for Bulgaria and the populist There is Such a Nation (ITN).

Among the winners of this latest election are GERB, Revival and the ITN. GERB managed to maintain its core voter base, while the We Continue the Change party of reformist ex-PM Kiril Petkov failed to overtake Borissov’s party, despite running on a joint ticket with the Democratic Bulgaria bloc. Revival overtook the DPS as the third largest party, while ITN returns to parliament having fallen out last October. Low turnout, growing election fatigue and recent changes to the election system also contributed to the election results.

The latest snap election – the fifth consecutive electoral contest since April 2021 – will potentially result in yet another, most likely to be held in parallel with the upcoming local elections in September. If parliamentary parties fail to agree on a new governing majority, the country will likely continue to be run by the Caretaker Government of Prime Minister Galab Donev.

Below, Aretera provides further insight into Bulgaria’s political landscape and the implications of Sunday’s election.