Bulgaria to hold seventh election in under four years in October
- Bulgaria is set for its seventh parliamentary election in less than four years after an interim Cabinet was formed in Sofia following weeks of political wrangling.
![Bulgaria to hold seventh election in under four years in October](https://mia.mk/images/20240827135031_big_730x400_66.webp )
Sofia, 27 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Bulgaria is set for its seventh parliamentary election in less than four years after an interim Cabinet was formed in Sofia following weeks of political wrangling.
New elections are due to be held on October 27, just four months after voters headed to the polls in June following the collapse of a centre-right coalition government.
An interim Cabinet - which under Bulgarian constitutional law is required to organize fair elections - was finally sworn in on Tuesday under caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.
President Rumen Radev had earlier this month refused to approve an interim Cabinet under Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva amid allegations over Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov's suitability for his role.
Glavchev then stepped in to continue his term as interim prime minister and organize the new elections, as Bulgaria seeks to avoid an escalation of its long political crisis.
The new interim administration must also appoint two candidates from Bulgaria to the new European Commission by August 30. The centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party has already proposed former foreign minister Ekaterina Zaharieva.
"The political crisis is not over," warned Radev. Low turnout and questions over the fairness of the vote could affect the legitimacy of the next parliament, the president suggested.
Turnout is expected to be even lower in the next election amid widespread voter fatigue. The previous vote saw only 34% of eligible voters cast a ballot.