The pro-Russian far-right party "Renaissance" in Bulgaria may take second place in the parliamentary elections. They are scheduled for October 27.
Points of attention
- Forecasts point to the possibility of second place for the pro-Russian Renaissance party in Bulgaria before the parliamentary elections.
- Strong competitors for "Renaissance" are the right-wing centrists from the Gerr party and the reformist alliance "We continue the changes/Democratic Bulgaria".
- The Renaissance party supports Bulgaria's exit from the European Union and its entry into BRICS, where Russia has significant influence.
- The analysis shows that the turnout in the elections may be low, which is a challenge for a democratic solution to the political crisis in the country.
- The popularity of "Renaissance" has increased due to anti-vaccine and pro-Russian rhetoric, as well as due to conflicts over a number of draft laws.
How many votes does the pro-Russian party "Renaissance" get?
As Balkan Insight notes, such forecasts are based on the results of a survey by the sociological agency Trend.
According to the survey, the center-right party GERB has a chance to become the leader again, having won 24.8% of the votes. It is followed by "Renaissance" with 15.6% and the reformist alliance "We continue the changes/Democratic Bulgaria" with 15.1%, which were part of the last short-term coalition governments.
The presence of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (6.9%), "There is such a people" (6.9%), as well as two new political parties that arose after the split of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (RPS), which traditionally receives support from ethnic Turks: "Alliance for Rights and Freedoms" (8.5%) and "RPS — New Beginning" (5.8%).
Data from another survey by Alpha Research show that the CDU/DB alliance is slightly ahead of "Renaissance" — only by 0.2%. This indicates that the second place in the elections will be a matter of competition between pro-European and anti-European forces in Bulgaria.
According to Alpha Research, voter turnout may be low, with only 30-31% of voters planning to vote, compared to the usual 38%. 33.7% of voters took part in the June elections.
What is known about the pro-Russian party "Renaissance"
The Renaissance party gradually gained popularity after entering parliament with 4.86% of the vote in November 2021. Her popularity grew due to her anti-vaccine and pro-Russian rhetoric.
"Renaissance" was also involved in several scandals, in particular due to the adoption of a law prohibiting the "propaganda" of non-traditional sexual orientation in education.
It should be noted that the "Renaissance" party is in favor of Bulgaria leaving the European Union and joining BRICS, where Russia has significant influence.
The political crisis in Bulgaria has been ongoing since 2021, and since then the country has already held six early parliamentary elections. The last elections held in June 2024 failed to lead to the formation of a permanent government.
