In Bulgaria, a new anti-corruption duo wins over voters

(Sofia) A new anti-corruption training led by two 40-year-old entrepreneurs won the third legislative elections of the year in Bulgaria on Sunday, in the midst of the murderous wave of COVID-19, according to polling institutes.

With a surprise score of 26% of the vote, according to the new counts from polling institutes, “Let’s continue the change” exceeds the conservative party Gerb of ex-Prime Minister Boïko Borissov (23%), initially given first. The official partial results will not be published until Monday.

The field would therefore be free for Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev, who launched themselves in September to the conquest of power after having seduced the Bulgarians by their action within the interim government.

“Bulgaria is taking a new path”, welcomed Mr Petkov, who appeared all smiles in front of a swarm of photographers and cameras. “We will do everything in our power to endow it with a normal government.”

After the failure of the two previous elections, in April and July 2021, for lack of a coalition agreement between the parties, will this duo succeed in a mission of its own “difficult” admission?

Vaccination cancer

In the polling stations, voters were divided between weariness and moderate optimism.

“I hope that we will finally have a new government for a better life,” said Stanka Lenkova, a 73-year-old pensioner who came to vote in the suburbs of Sofia.

Many Bulgarians did not even come: the turnout was estimated at around 40%.

In unison, the various political leaders expressed their determination to break the deadlock unprecedented since the end of the communist regime.

Among the urgent subjects to be dealt with, the management of the health crisis. Because the interim cabinet appears powerless in the face of the deterioration of the situation.

Hospitals are overwhelmed by coronavirus cases and nearly 200 people die every day, in this Balkan country where less than a quarter of the 6.9 million inhabitants are fully vaccinated, the EU’s worst performance.

The death rate there is one of the highest in the world, against a backdrop of the dilapidated health system. Three patients died this weekend in a fire in a hospital establishment.

“Building bridges”

A “chaos” denounced by Mr. Borissov, deposed in April after a decade of power, and which could continue.

The two newcomers “are very enthusiastic” but have little experience, warns Boriana Dimitrova, director of the polling institute Alpha Research. She predicts an “unstable” coalition because of the differences of ideas.

Mr. Petkov and his sidekick Assen Vassilev, met on the Harvard benches, stand out in the Bulgarian political landscape.

Their goal: “to eradicate corruption”, in this country last in the ranking within the EU.

The two men say they are ready for a “compromise” and “very open to dialogue” to set up a coalition.

“Left, center or right, it doesn’t matter,” says Kiril Petkov, who is running for the post of prime minister. “If we can stop ‘corruption’ and redistribute the money for the welfare of taxpayers, then we should be able to get along with many parties.”

“They are able to build bridges between the right and the left”, confirms Ivailo Ditchev, of the University of Sofia.

“Break with corruption”

But voices of “change” will not be enough. According to experts, they will probably have to ally themselves with the socialists of the PSB (around 11% of the vote), whose image is marred by a disastrous transition to power in the 1990s.

Along with the legislative elections, the Bulgarians also elected their president on Sunday.

Roumen Radev, candidate for his succession, leads the race at the end of the first round with more than 49% of the vote, against 24% for his closest competitor, the rector of the University of Sofia Anastas Gerdjikov, supported by Gerb.

Mr. Radev, arch enemy of Boïko Borissov, welcomed the election results, a sign that “society wants to break with corruption and arbitrariness”.

Parliamentary parties now have “the imperative task of forming a reforming, anti-corruption and social government,” he urged.