“Stopping corruption will be our priority” – Kiril Petkov repeated this phrase many times on the evening of November 14 after the end of the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. Led by Petkov and his colleague Asen Vasiliev, the Continuing Changes coalition unexpectedly won the election, according to preliminary voting results.
On Bulgarian national television, Petkov, who is a likely contender for the post of head of government, said that he is ready to conduct a dialogue on the creation of a cabinet with all parties in the country, except for the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the Turkish minority party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS).
The election winners blame these two political forces for the country’s rampant corruption. Petkov names the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the Democratic Party of Bulgaria (DP) and the party “There is such a people” (ETN) as a partner in the future government coalition. “Their goals and basic principles in everything coincide with ours: to stop corruption and, first of all, to carry out rearrangements in the General Prosecutor’s Office in order to create a functioning justice,” Petkov explained.
“The guys from Harvard” – who are they
“Guys from Harvard” – this is the name of the two managers Petkov and Vasiliev, both studied at Harvard University, were part of the transitional (technical) government of the country after the parliamentary elections in April 2021. In the summer, led by two small parties Volt und “European Middle Class”, and then united in the coalition of reformers “Continue the change”. Before the parliamentary elections in November, they did not have enough time to create their own party.
Vesela Cherneva, Director of the European Council on Foreign Relations
“They do not carry a political burden and radiate energy, strength and political courage,” Vesela Cherneva, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) in Sofia, spoke about the duo ahead of the elections. But until the very vote, all predictions were in favor of Boyko Borisov’s party. He commented on his defeat in the elections as follows: “Everyone has already carried my coffin, but I am glad that I am alive.”
Third parliamentary elections in a year
In the three extraordinary parliamentary elections held in Bulgaria this year, each time there was a new winner. In April, GERB suffered a political defeat – despite the largest number of votes, other parties did not want to form a government coalition with it. In July, the populists from the There Is Such People Party were also convinced that, having received a relative majority, they would be able to rule without coalition partners, and they were wrong.
And here is the third campaign and the third winner. For Petkov and Vasiliev, forming a government will also be a daunting task. Although Bulgarian voters again voted against Boyko Borisov’s return to power, they still did not give the Continuing Changes coalition a mandate to form a one-party cabinet.
Former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov
“Continuing Changes” can gain a majority in parliament only by merging with three more parties. Vesela Cherneva believes that the government coalition will be formed before Christmas: “It will be a heterogeneous coalition. On the most important issues – the fight against corruption, justice, budget and settlement of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic – their positions are not very different. have significantly weakened their positions in the current elections, Petkov and Vasiliev have shown a willingness to compromise, for example, in the distribution of posts. “
But neither “We Continue Changes” nor “There is such a people” has a ramified party structure. “They must be represented throughout the country – and at the same time carry out their reform program. It will not be easy,” Cherneva admits in an interview with DW. GERB, on the contrary, is represented at the regional level, due to its economic ties it is still strong, this is its capital, says the ECFR director. While the results of the so-called “protest parties” fluctuate in each new election, the socialists and Borisov’s party are showing stable results.
Voters in Bulgaria – Between Indifference and Fatigue
The euphoria over the winners of the vote cannot offset other outcomes of concern. Voter turnout in these elections was less than 40 percent – a historic low.
Parvan Simeonov, director of Gallup International Balkan
Parvan Simeonov, director of the Institute for Public Opinion Research Gallup International Balkan, said in an interview with DW: “Fatigue and indifference reign now – the danger of fascist tendencies is real.” How real is shown by the support of the ultra-right party “Renaissance”, which can count on five percent of the vote. “The fact that the ultra-right got into parliament is, of course, unpleasant. But by European standards, their support is still quite limited,” Vesela Cherneva specifies.
On November 14, simultaneously with the parliamentary, presidential elections in Bulgaria, incumbent President Rumen Radev won, as expected. But since he most likely did not get an absolute majority, a second round of voting will take place. Radev’s rival, the rector of the University in Sofia, Anastas Gerdzhikova, is supported by the GERB party. In the second round, it will take place on November 21, a simple majority of votes is enough for a candidate to win.
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