(Bloomberg) -- Bulgaria is poised to hold a seventh general election in less than four years as a final attempt to form a government failed after the Black Sea nation went to the polls in June.
Political paralysis has hindered Bulgaria’s efforts to join the euro area, tackle graft and gain full access to European Union recovery funding since 2021. Protests then ended the dominance of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and his Gerb party, which won the most votes in the latest election but was unable to form a coalition.
President Rumen Radev had handed the mandate to form a government to a small party led by a popular television host after the two biggest political forces didn’t succeed. But that last effort also failed, Toshko Yordanov, a representative of the ITN party, told the head of state during a televised meeting Monday.
“The spiral of elections with no result keeps swirling, and isn’t just causing irritation,” Radev said. “It’s also unleashing destructive processes.”
The president now has to schedule a fresh election — likely in early October - and appoint a new interim cabinet, or keep the current one in office.
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