Bruised Borissov May Yet Prevail over Bulgaria’s Divided Opposition

With no clear route to a parliamentary majority following an election in Bulgaria, outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borissov may yet defy the odds.

Post-election Bulgaria is fast starting to resemble an endless riddle of political ‘what-ifs’.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s path to a third term is strewn with obstacles after his GERB party won the April 4 election but saw its share of the vote slashed.

The parliamentary mathematics makes a new GERB-led ruling coalition highly unlikely. But its rivals are deeply divided. A minority administration, fresh elections or an ‘expert cabinet’ as proposed by Borissov are all in play.

Alexey Pamporov, associate professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, said Borissov’s opponents face a make-or-break moment in the fight to end GERB’s domination.

“It’s hard to make any prognosis before we see what GERB will come up with when they receive the mandate,” Pamporov told BIRN.

“The state, the administration, the big corporations, as well Bulgaria’s international and financial relationships with the US, Germany, France, Austria – it’s all tied to GERB. So if Bulgaria doesn’t decide to end the party’s omnipresence, nobody will intervene. It’s up to us.”