Bulgaria wraps up voting in snap parliamentary election

Polls closed across Bulgaria on Sunday in the early parliamentary elections to choose the members of the country’s 52nd National Assembly, the Central Election Commission announced.

As of 4 pm local time, voter turnout nationwide stood at 34.63%, Deputy Chairwoman and spokesperson Rositsa Mateva said at a briefing, according to Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).

Mateva said turnout was significantly higher than in the previous early parliamentary elections held on Oct. 27, 2024, when turnout at the same hour stood at 26.25%.

According to the Central Election Commission, over 6.5 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday’s election.

A total of 14 political parties and 10 alliances are competing in the vote.

Under the electoral system, parties must secure at least 121 seats in the 240-member parliament to form a government.

Progressive Bulgaria is leading Sunday's parliamentary elections with 39.2% of the vote, according to the first exit poll results released by the research center Trend.

The poll, according to the BTA, showed Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces in the second place with 15.1%.

We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria followed with 13.3%, while Movement for Rights and Freedoms received 8.1%.

Revival was projected to win 5% of the vote, narrowly above the threshold for entering parliament.

Bulgarian Socialist Party-United Left stood at 4.2%, according to the exit poll.

Since 2021, the Balkan country of 6.5 million has struggled with fragmented parliaments, failed coalition negotiations and deep political divisions, resulting in short-lived governments and repeated caretaker administrations appointed by the presidency.