(11 Jul 2021) Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov cast his vote in a snap poll on Sunday after a previous election in April produced a fragmented parliament that failed to form a viable coalition government.
Latest opinion polls suggest that the rerun could produce similar results but also a further drop in support for Borissov’s GERB party, after the current caretaker government made public allegations of widespread corruption during his rule.
NATO and EU member Bulgaria has been repeatedly criticized for not tackling corruption and for deficiencies in the rule of law and media freedom.
The anti-corruption campaign of Borissov’s opponents was additionally boosted by the sanctions the U.S. Treasury imposed last month against several Bulgarian public officials and business leaders for corruption.
President Rumen Radev, a vocal critic of Borissov, urged Bulgarians to vote massively in the election to bring “irreversible changes for the better”.
Despite the serious setbacks that Borissov’s GERB party suffered, the reputation of the 62-year-old political maverick remains high among his loyal supporters who are relying on their government-sponsored jobs to deal with economic hardships.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f1fb64726bf64b1fb7eb8c11567805c1
source