Bulgaria votes - yet again
Bulgarians will head to the polls for the country's fifth parliamentary election in two years on Sunday. The two major parties led by ex-prime ministers Boyko Borisov and Kiril Petkov are neck and neck in the polls, so whether the results will produce a viable coalition that could form a stable government is an open question. The national press highlights other aspects of the vote.
Election merry-go-round
According to the polls there will not be a majority, so Dnevnik expects a broad but unstable coalition:
“Since the beginning of this election campaign we've been asking ourselves when the next election will be. This question will remain relevant after election day and even after a government is formed (if one is formed, that is). So in this sense the next government will be another transitional government. We are not in a systemic crisis, but in a crisis of political representation. Ultimately, however, we elect our representatives. On Sunday, we have the chance to change something. After that, it's the politicians' turn again.”
Bulgarians voting for or against Putin
The main topic in the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on 2 April is the attitude of the individual parties to Putin and the war, writes e-vestnik:
“The removal of Borisov and his party Gerb, which still controls the state to a large extent, has faded into the background [compared to the previous elections]. Polls show that at least 20 percent of Bulgarian voters will vote for parties that strongly support Russia. These are the [right-wing nationalist party] Vazrazhdane and the [pro-Russian socialist party] BSP. The pro-European parties are warning that Vazrazhdane and BSP want to tear Bulgaria away from the EU and Nato. In this environment with tensions running high over Putin's war, no one trusts anyone.”
Press freedom gets another chance
A broad-based coalition would have a positive impact on press freedom in Bulgaria, Deutsche Welle's Bulgarian service comments with a view to Sunday's parliamentary elections:
“Gerb's broken monopoly is a great moment for the journalistic guild to reclaim its power, usually defined as the 'fourth' power. In the near future there will be no party that can hand out the morsels on its own - on the contrary, politicians will have to work hard cut a good figure in the media.”