June 7 marks the end of the campaign period ahead of Bulgaria’s June 9 2024 European Parliament elections, in which the country will elect 17 MEPs, and the simultaneous early National Assembly elections, in which 240 MPs are to be elected.
Political campaigns for the upcoming European Elections are wrapping up.
June 7 marks the end of the campaign period for Bulgaria – ahead of the June 9 elections for representatives at the European Parliament.
The country will elect 17 MEPs – voting simultaneously for their early National Assembly elections in which 240 MPs will be elected.
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) lead the pre-election polls, according to a recent survey conducted by the Mediana agency.
If the elections were held today, the poll reports that 29% of Bulgarians would cast their votes for GERB while the second-placed nationalist Vazrazhdane party would receive 15%.
More than 400,000 people remain undecided about whom they will vote, according to the survey.
However, the agency emphasised that the survey is not a forecast but instead a snapshot of the current social-political attitudes in the country only days before the elections.
The upcoming early parliament elections will be the sixth time Bulgarians vote for their National Assembly since 2021.
The national snap election comes at a time of corruption scandals and Russian propaganda flooding the country.
The temporary government had been formed by the GERB and Turkish minority’s main party – the liberal centralists of DPS, affiliated to Renew Europe in the EU Parliament.
In 2020, Bulgaria was shaken by mass anti-corruption protests. Therefore, the then prime minister, Boyko Borisov, was forced to resign. Following the rallies, the Bulgarian political leadership failed to enact any reforms, leading the country into a downward spiral of political instability.
Bulgaria has been one of Moscow’s closest allies in the EU. President Rumen Radev has been widely accused of being pro-Russian by his opponents. While condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, he has also refused to provide aid to Kyiv.
There are fears that the current instability could bolster the presence of nationalist and pro-Russian parties, deepening the rift.