Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court on Thursday annulled part of the October 27, 2024 election results, invalidating the mandates of 16 MPs in the 51st National Assembly and paving the way for the Velichie party to cross the threshold for seat allocation.
According to BTA, the Central Election Commission (CEC) swiftly reallocated seats later in the day, producing the following new distribution:
GERB-UDF: 66 seats (down from 69)
Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB): 36 (down from 37)
Vazrazhdane: 33 (down from 35)
Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)–New Beginning: 29 (down from 30)
Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS): 19 (unchanged)
BSP – United Left: 19 (down from 20)
There Is Such a People (TISP): 17 (down from 18)
Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh): 11 (down from 12)
Velichie: 10 (previously none)
Velichie welcomed the court’s decision, calling it “a small but well-deserved reward” for its supporters. The party claimed the elections had been “unfair” and “manipulated,” pledging to continue its fight against what it described as “criminal governance.”
Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev sought to downplay concerns over government stability, stating: “If a government focuses on surviving, it will get nothing done.” He acknowledged the challenges in maintaining the current coalition, describing its status as “some kind of dynamic stability regime.”
Kiril Petkov, an MP from CC-DB, criticized the election process, accusing GERB-UDF and MRF–New Beginning of benefitting from inflated vote counts. Petkov ruled out negotiations with MRF–New Beginning, citing a “cordon sanitaire” around its floor leader Delyan Peevski. CC-DB Co-Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova called for broad political consensus on electoral reforms, advocating for the use of voting machines to minimize human error.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) echoed calls for urgent electoral reforms, warning that any political destabilization could hinder efforts to address the country’s pressing social issues.
The latest developments underscore ongoing tensions in Bulgaria’s political landscape as parties grapple with the aftermath of the court’s decision and renewed calls for electoral transparency.
