Distribution of parliamentary seats in Bulgaria announced
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bulgaria has announced the distribution of seats in the upcoming 51st Parliament following the snap general election held on October 27. A total of eight parties and coalitions have secured representation in the 240-seat National Assembly.
Out of the 6.6 million registered voters in Bulgaria, around 2.57 million cast their ballots, with 19 political parties and nine coalitions competing in the election. According to the official results, the center-right GERB party, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, emerged as the leading party with 69 seats.
The parliamentary breakdown is as follows: the GERB Party with 69 seats, the "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB) Alliance with 37 seats, the pro-Russian "Revival" (Vızrajdane) Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)-New Beginning Party with 35 seats each, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with 20 seats, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ASP) with 19 seats, "There is Such a People" (ITN) with 18 seats, and the MECh (Sword) Party with 12 seats.
The "Greatness" Party narrowly missed the 4% electoral threshold, receiving 3.99% of the votes. The party's leader, Ivelin Mihaylov, announced plans to protest the results.
Boyko Borisov stated his intention to seek the role of Prime Minister and confirmed his willingness to negotiate with all parties in Parliament except the pro-Russian Revival Party. He also emphasized that GERB would not support any government formation efforts by other parties if GERB’s coalition negotiations fail.
PP-DB co-leader Kiril Petkov, however, set conditions for coalition discussions, requesting that Borisov refrain from being nominated as Prime Minister and that the MRF-New Beginning Party, led by Delyan Peevski, be politically isolated.
Representation of Turks and Muslims in Parliament
The election saw a split within the Turkish and Muslim-backed Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). The party’s founder, Ahmed Dogan, participated in the election under the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ASP) banner, while supporters of Delyan Peevski ran under the MRF-New Beginning Party.
ASP Vice President and Member of the European Parliament Ilhan Küçük announced that ASP would refuse participation in coalition discussions if MRF-New Beginning was involved. Ahmed Dogan also indicated that ASP could offer external support to a GERB-PP-DB coalition.
Meanwhile, Peevski asserted that his parliamentary group would resist any attempt to be marginalized from Bulgaria’s political process.
President Rumen Radev will soon announce the date for the inaugural session of the new parliament, where newly elected members will take the oath of office. Following the election of the parliamentary leadership, President Radev is expected to appoint GERB, as the party with the most seats, to lead the government formation process.
