There is a head-to-head race between the bourgeois party GERB of ex-Prime Minister Boiko Borissow and the populist “There is such a people” ITN of the entertainer Slavi Trifonov.
Around 6.7 million voters are to elect 240 parliamentarians. The central question in this election is whether there will be a majority capable of governing in the new parliament. Six or even seven parties are likely to overcome the four percent hurdle for entry into parliament. The parties of the anti-Borisov camp accuse him of corrupt administration and exclude a coalition with his GERB party.
The Bulgarians are now to cast their votes for the first time using a voting machine – and no longer with ballot papers. This is to avoid election fraud. The polling stations are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. CEST (7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time). Only after it has been closed may forecasts based on voter surveys after voting be published. Official final results can be expected within four days of the election.