Sofia:  In the midst of severe divisions over the war in Ukraine, Bulgarians cast ballots on Sunday in their fifth general election in two years, a record in the European Union.

The political crisis that has gripped Bulgaria since 2020—the worst instability since the fall of Communism has been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of its neighbor.

The 6.5 million-strong, impoverished Balkan nation is a NATO and EU member. However, it has ties to Russia both historically and culturally.

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Three years ago, the nation saw sizable anti-corruption protests, but instead of bringing about a purge of corruption from public life, the protests led to a series of elections.

Boyko Borisov, a conservative prime minister whose ten years in office were marred by graft allegations, was ousted from office in 2021.

But since then, the nation's political parties have found it difficult to put together durable coalitions, which has resulted in a severely divided parliament and a string of interim administrations.

Silvia Radoeva, a 42-year-old care worker, questioned, "What if the results are the same as in previous legislative elections?" With regard to "crazy prices, poverty, and appalling medical care," Radoeva told AFP that "it's high time that politicians united to deal with everyday problems."

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"Bulgarian society is crying out for a solution in the face of war and inflation," Parvan Simeonov, a political analyst with Gallup International, told AFP.

Many 2020 protesters are disenchanted because the fight against corruption has been sidelined. The major candidates on the ballot on Sunday are the same as in recent elections.

According to the most recent polls, Borisov's GERB party and the reformist We Continue the Change (PP), led by Harvard-educated Kiril Petkov, who served as prime minister for a brief period in 2022, are neck and neck. Both enjoy about 25% support. The PP and a tiny right-wing coalition called Democratic Bulgaria have teamed up this time.

The Jacques Delors Institute for Central and Eastern Europe's associate researcher Lukas Macek said, "We find the same pattern as in other central European countries — a former leader who clings to power and the other parties who refuse to ally with him, without having much else in common."
Unless Borisov withdraws, Macek sees no end to this "worrying spiral of elections."

Ognian Peychev, a 60-year-old engineer, said to AFP at a recent protest against the war in Ukraine: "I fear the influence of pro-Russian parties in the next parliament."

According to polls, the ultra-nationalist Vazrazhdane party, which supports the Kremlin's war, stands to win about 13 percent of the vote, up from the 10 percent it received at the previous general election in October.

The Socialist BSP, the Communist Party of Bulgaria's replacement, has also sided with Moscow and opposes arming Ukrainian forces.
Many people in Bulgaria still have an eastward gaze, reverencing Russia as the nation that, in 1878, put an end to five centuries of Ottoman rule.

According to Mariana Valkova, a 62-year-old businesswoman who previously worked in the Soviet Union, "Both Petkov and Borisov are too aggressively critical of Russia."

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"I would prefer that there be no government and that President Rumen Radev continue to be in power." The pro-Russian Radev has called Petkov and his allies "war mongers" and appointed interim cabinets in the midst of a series of fruitless elections.

He has also advocated against arming Ukraine. In the meantime, ammunition is being produced in Bulgaria's munitions factories at full capacity for export to Kiev via third nations. On Sunday, polling places opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT). After the polls close at 8:00 p.m., the first exit polls are anticipated (1700 GMT).