Great fatigue and the possibility of strengthening the pro-Russian far-right: Bulgarians started voting today in the parliamentary elections, the seventh to be held since 2021 with no real hope of the country breaking out of the political deadlock.

A wave of protests against endemic corruption in 2020 toppled the Gerb party-led coalition government, but back-to-back election contests since then in the EU’s poorest country have dampened the tide of change against the conservatives.

Consistency; Former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s Gerb appears to be winning the most in the voter intention, with 26%.

But he risks finding no allies to form a government, with parliament tipped to be fragmented.

Moreover, the participation rate in the elections remains low. Five months ago—in the last parliamentary election—only 34% of voters went to the polls, the lowest rate since the fall of communism 35 years ago.

The polling stations opened at 07:00 (local and Greek time) and the first exit polls are expected around 20:00.

In the midst of this unprecedented political crisis since 1989, the pro-Russian nationalists of the Vazrajdane (Renaissance) party managed to establish their presence. Polls give them 13% to 14%, the same as the reformers of the “Continuing Change/Democratic Bulgaria” (CC/BD) coalition, who see their percentage drop with each election.

With a large presence in the pre-election campaign, Vazrajdane relies on the adoption in the summer by the parliament, following his initiative, of a bill against LGBTI+ “propaganda” in schools.

The bill is inspired by Russian legislation, in a country that, despite being a member of the EU and NATO, remains particularly pro-Russian.

“Vazrajdane’s influence is increasing to the extent that the party has been reduced to a potential ally of Gerb,” ​​commented Dobromir Zivkov, director of the Market Links institute.

Borissov, who supported the controversial bill, has opened the door to an approach to Vazrajdane, although he has admitted that “our partners in Brussels and Washington will not allow” such a scenario.

When he ruled, the 65-year-old Borisov was careful not to alienate Russia, while respecting the positions of the EU and NATO.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he openly opposed Moscow, but a possible victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential elections could change the situation, Zhivkov estimated.

The election of the Republican candidate and “his leniency towards the sin of corruption” may favor a Gerb coalition with former tycoon Delian Pefsky, who has been sanctioned by the US and Britain for corruption.

The 44-year-old MP leads the Muslim Minority Party (MDL), which is likely to garner more than 7% of the vote.

Political impasse in Bulgaria, which worries foreign investors, has delayed the implementation of anti-corruption reforms and the country’s energy transition, which has delayed the payment of billions of euros in European funds.

The situation also caused the postponement of Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone and the Schengen area.

Besides, the cost of organizing seven elections amounts to 300 million euros.