Bulgaria holds 5th parliamentary election in 2 years

Bulgaria held its fifth general election in two years Sunday, which political leaders hoped would end government instability and provide a path to overcoming economic woes fueled by the war in Ukraine.
Turnout was expected to be low due to voter apathy and disillusionment with politicians, who have been repeatedly unable to cobble together a viable governing coalition.
The latest opinion polls suggested the chances for an immediate end to the political stalemate were low, with up to seven groups potentially reaching the 4% threshold to enter a fragmented parliament. According to the polls, populist and pro-Russia parties were likely to increase their representation.
Most pollsters see three-time Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s center-right GERB party running neck-and-neck at around 26% with its main rival, Kiril Petkov’s liberal We Continue the Change party, which recently formed a coalition with the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria.