The World Briefly

April 03, 2023

The Doom Loop

Bulgaria

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Bulgaria held its fifth election in two years on Sunday, with voters casting their ballots in an effort to end the political deadlock plaguing the European Union country that has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported.

With 62 percent of the votes counted as of noon Monday local time, the coalition of the former long-time Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was leading with 25.84 percent of the vote against the “We continue the change – Democratic Bulgaria” coalition of Kiril Petkov on 24.9 percent, wrote Euractiv.

Meanwhile, the news outlet noted that the pro-Russian, anti-European party “Vazrazhdane” had won 14.9 percent according to preliminary results, gaining about 5 percent from past elections, boosted by actively campaigning for a referendum against the eurozone. If the results hold, it’s likely that Vazrazhdane becomes kingmaker in any new coalition.

The Balkan nation of seven million has seen its political system paralyzed following a series of inconclusive elections – the last was in October – that have failed to produce a party with enough support to create a government.

For the past two years, there have been several short-lived governments with interim cabinets appointed by President Rumen Radev.

Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest nation, is also experiencing high inflation that has caused the country to abandon its goal to join the eurozone next year. The crisis has also prevented Bulgaria from proposing a 2023 budget bill, tapping the EU’s Covid-19 recovery funds and tackling reforms aimed at catching up with richer bloc nations.

While economic issues and the Ukraine war boosted support for Vazrazhdane, at the same time President Radev, a former fighter pilot and general who received training from NATO, has openly favored Russia, for example recently commenting during an election campaign that Crimea belongs to Russia. He has also labeled opponents who support arming Ukraine as warmongers.

Analysts and also voters expressed skepticism that Sunday’s elections would resolve the political stalemate plaguing the country. Meanwhile, Foreign Policy also noted how the country is stuck in an electoral “doom loop” because of parliament’s dysfunction, and said this situation has opened the door to a pro-Russian presidential power grab.

This story originally appeared in the April 03, 2023 newsletter, Waterfront Property.