UPDATED: Political forces react to early results

published on 10/27/24 9:05 PM

Boyko Borissov

The exit polls from all the polling agencies show that GERB-SDS, led by Boyko Borissov, is clearly the number one political force in the future 51st Bulgarian Parliament. In recent years, the party has refrained from commenting before the final results are announced by the Central Election Commission.

"People want a government, security and stability," GERB leader Boyko Borissov told journalists after casting his vote today. Despite the victory, the result of around 25 per cent failed to bring the party its dream 80 seats in Bulgaria's 240-seat parliament. It will face tough negotiations in an even more divided parliament.

"We will make all the compromises necessary to form a government," Borisov promised on the last day of campaigning - October 25.

"Turnout has increased, which is important for democracy," said Atanas Atanasov of the PP-DB coalition, commenting on the fact that expectations of a disastrously low turnout did not prove to be true. Assen Vassilev of the coalition thanked the voters for making it the second political force, after the PP-DB came third in the last elections in June this year. Vassilev promised that the coalition's priorities would be higher incomes, better health care and education, "as well as anti-corruption laws, which are a prerequisite for starting any kind of talks".

"GERB, as the winner, has the responsibility to form a government. Let's see what they propose. Once the final results are announced, then you can ask us on the basis of what GERB has said," said former PP-DB prime minister Nikolai Denkov in response to a journalist's question about the coalition's plan to nominate a prime minister "equally distant" from the political forces, dodging the question of whether the coalition was prepared to compromise.

The nationalist "Vazrazhdane" party, headed by Kostadin Kostadinov, is expected to move from fourth to third place in the 51st National Assembly, despite maintaining its result of just under 14 per cent in the June parliamentary elections. "Thank you to everyone who voted for the only party that defends the Bulgarian national interest," the party said on Facebook, noting that it would make a statement when the final results were announced.

Toshko Yordanov of the seventh formation so far - There is Such a People (ITN), led by TV presenter Slavi Trifonov, said that the party had proved extremely stable in the elections. He stressed that ITN would not negotiate with DPS - New Beginning of Delyan Peevski, which, according to the results so far, is emerging as the fourth parliamentary force. ITN's Stanislav Balabanov refused to elaborate on the party's possible role in the future government. "It is definitely too early to comment on any role, government, talks, because we don't have the final results yet," he said.

The election results show a rise of the Socialists, said Ivan Petkov, leader of the BSP - United Left list in Plovdiv, in an interview with BNR Plovdiv. He explained that for any invitation or discussion of a future government, there must first be a decision by the BSP national council, followed by the coalition council. "So far we only have a decision from the BSP congress, where we have a firm 'no' to GERB and DPS," Ivan Petkov said, expressing hope that these elections would lead to the formation of a coalition. For the time being, BSP-United Left has made no official comment on the election results.

"After months of hard work, many meetings and challenges, obstacles and trials, together as one big family we have made it: The New Beginning is an unstoppable fact! And it is final". These words were spoken by the leader of DPS - New Beginning, Delyan Peevski. Weeks before the elections, Peevski clashed with the honorary leader of the DPS, Ahmed Dogan, resulting in the split of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, founded in 1990, and the emergence of DPS - New Beginning (with Delyan Peevski) and the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms around Ahmed Dogan.

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UPDATED: Political forces react to early results

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