The conservative party Gerb once again emerged as the winner of the parliamentary elections held yesterday Sunday in Bulgariaaccording to preliminary results, but will need to seek allies to form a government.

Based on the electoral commission’s preliminary results after counting more than 82% of the votes, Gerb has 26.08%.

The liberal, pro-European Continuing Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC/BD) is in second place with 14.76%, followed by the nationalist Vazrajdane (Renaissance) with 13.8%.

Yesterday’s election, the seventh since 2021, was called after Bulgaria’s political parties failed to form a coalition government following the June 9 election.

Gerb leader Boyko Borisov thanked voters for their support this morning and added that his party will form a new government.

“We will work with everyone except Vazrajdane,” he pointed out.

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.

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.