Bulgaria: DPS Nominates Elena Yoncheva for MEP
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) in Blagoevgrad has nominated Elena Yoncheva as a candidate for the European Parliament, sparking intense debate and speculation
Six parties are expected to enter the Bulgarian National Assembly after early elections on Sunday, polling agency Sova Harris predicts.
A survey ordered by the daily Presa shows that conservative Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) will be the clear winner at the vote, with 98 MP seats, 32 seats ahead of the Bulgarian Socialist Party BSP, coming second with 66 seats.
Liberals from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) are expected to get half as many lawmakers (33) and Bulgaria without Censorship will likely have two time less than this (15-16).
The Reformist Bloc, which until recently was considered to have a result close to the threshold of 4-percent support, looks now as certain to enter the Parliament, with the votes of about 200 000 people helping it to jump over the barrier, the pollster says.
Another group to the right of the political spectrum, the Patriotic Front (a VMRO-NFSB coalition) will also make it into the National Assembly with 13 lawmakers, according to Sova Harris.
Far-right Ataka, which was part of the former Parliament, has seen support plummet, with many of its voters drained by the Patriotic Front. The poll's results suggest Ataka will most likely stand below the election threshold.
The figures show that a center-right majority is the most evident option to forge a coalition after the snap vote, Sova Harris believes.
The agency stresses voter turnout has seen a five-percent increase in the last month, with 58% (3.4-3.6 million) of those eligible to vote saying they will cast a ballot.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
Bulgaria's largest party GERB and the Reformist Bloc have both taken a U-turn after initially saying they found it impossible to shake hands during the government consultations on Wednesday.
Bulgaria's Central Electoral Committee (CEC) fined the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) Lyutvi Mestan and MP Hyusein Hafsuzov for solicitation in foreign language, which is forbidden by law.
The new National Assembly is to hold its opening session on October 27, at 14:00 EEST, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev announced.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev is set to meet on Wednesday all parties and coalitions entering the new Parliament after the October 5 early elections.
Right-wing Reformist Bloc is the third political force to meet conservative GERB as part of the consultations to form a coalition government with shared responsibility.
The centre-right GERB and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) will negotiate on Tuesday afternoon on the formation and support for new government.
UN Happiness Report: Bulgaria's Astonishing Leap in Rankings
Bulgaria: 3 Regions With Lowest Life Expectancy - EU Report 2022