GERB-UDF leader Boyko Borissov: All parties in the next Parliament are potentially our partners, except for 'Vazrazhdane'

The leader of centre-right coalition GERB-UDF, Boyko Borissov, commented on the first exit polls after the end of election day on October 27. He stressed that he is ready to govern with anyone who supports the GERB-UDF programme and all are political forces in the future Parliament are potential partners, except for ‘Vazrazhdane’.

"I will govern with anyone who supports our programme. Everyone is a potential partner tonight, except my colleagues from ‘Vazrazhdane", who I congratulate for the good result, but we cannot work together due to ideological differences," Borissov said.

First exit poll results - which parties enter Bulgaria's 51st Parliament? (update)

Images by Desislava Kulelieva, BNT

He thanked all the Bulgarians who voted today.

"Thanks to all the Bulgarians who raised the voter turnout. With this turnout, we can talk more calmly about representation in the new Parliament. From today onwards, we are committed to make a government. The victory of GERB-UDF is categorical. If we are guided by the proverb 'The voice of the people is the voice of God’, it would be good the political leaders to sleep on it overnight and they should not exceed their electoral result. With such a clear victory we can make many compromises, but in no case will we bypass the people's vote. Our programme, which the people have voted for, will be fundamental for all those who want to have a government. Some have already started making conditions. In your TV studios, I watch them, speaking with trembling voices how a party with clear winners has to comply with those who received much less public support. It's simply not pretty, nor fair. We have compromised a lot with these people. We have worked with everyone else, we will work, we can work, let everyone do their own analysis of the results. I want to thank all Bulgarians, not just our supporters. A lot of transformations (in the election results0 can take place by tomorrow morning. Parliament is mathematics, the number of parties matters a great deal, although I have always thought that the lower limit of both coalitions and parties should be raised. Because what it is at the moment, if all these parties enter Parliament, I know already that there will be no government. GERB-UDF won decisively. Personally, it makes me happy that the pollsters' percentages matched those of GERB. There are no claims for bought votes and machinations against us."

Regarding the proposal for a cabinet led by a Prime Minister equally distant from all parties, Borissov commented thus.

"Bypassing the people's vote. This is dishonest and I will not allow it."

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The October 27 elections were the seventh early elections since 2021.

Bulgarians went to the polls to elect members of the 240 seat national Parliament three times in 2021, once in 2022 and once in 2023.

Today's vote was the second one in 2024.

Only two of the previous parliamentary elections in the past three years have produced an elected government, neither of which came close to serving a full term.