Early parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 9 June 2024, to elect members of the National Assembly. The election coincided with the European Parliament election on the same day. This parliamentary election was initially scheduled to be held before 12 June 2027; however, the planned rotation agreed to by GERB and PP–DB failed to materialise in March 2024, and no other government could be formed. GERB–SDS had the best results, winning nearly 24% of the vote and 68 seats, but it did not obtain a majority in the National Assembly. Voter turnout was 34%, which was the lowest turnout since the end of Communist rule in 1989.
The new elected 50th Parliament replaced the 49th Parliament, when all elected members were sworn in on 19 June 2024. The final of three government formation attempts failed on 5 August 2024. On 9 August, the Bulgarian President as a consequence instead appointed Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva (Vice President of the Bulgarian National Audit Office) as the next caretaker prime minister. Grancharova-Kozhareva was granted ten days to form a proposal for the next caretaker government to be appointed on 20 August 2024, with the upcoming next parliamentary elections expected to be held on 20 October 2024.
On 19 August, the proposed Grancharova-Kozhareva caretaker government however was rejected by the Bulgarian President, as he opposed the proposal to allow the controversial figure Kalin Stoyanov to continue as interior minister. On 27 August, the President instead issued a decree to appoint the Second Glavchev Government as the next caretaker government to replace the First Glavchev Government (with 17 out of 20 ministers being reappointed), and scheduled a new round of early parliamentary elections to be held on 27 October 2024.
Background
Following several snap elections, the Bulgarian National Assembly had failed to put together a long-lasting government since 'anti-corruption' parties made a breakthrough in the April 2021 election. The 2023 election saw little change from 2022, with Boyko Borisov's centre-right GERB–SDS narrowly coming in first place, above the centrist PP–DB alliance. The far right Revival (VAZ) and the populist There is Such a People (ITN) made gains, with the latter re-entering the Assembly after it failed to reach the electoral threshold in 2022.
On 22 May 2023, the PP- and GERB-led alliances agreed to form a government with a rotational premiership. Nikolai Denkov, PP's candidate, would be the Prime Minister for the first nine months of the government and Mariya Gabriel, the GERB candidate, would serve as deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister. After nine months, the two would switch positions.
Denkov resigned in accordance with the rotation agreement on 5 March, to allow Gabriel to become the new Prime Minister. On 20 March 2024, the planned government rotation and signing of a renewed government failed due to disagreements between the two alliances on the cabinet and breaking down of relations. Negotiations ensued across to form a new government, but failed to produce any governments that could reach a majority support. GERB rejected the chance to form a government. PP–DB made a limited attempt to respect the original rotation agreement. The final chance to form a government, chosen by president Rumen Radev, went to ITN, which was immediately rejected.
On 29 March, as per Article 98 of the constitution, the President appointed the Chairman of the National Audit Office, Dimitar Glavchev, as the candidate for caretaker prime minister. He was granted a one-week deadline of until 6 April to propose the composition of the caretaker government.
Glavchev presented his proposal for the caretaker government on 5 April, accepted by the President following negotiations and scheduling the election for 9 June. Glavchev and his cabinet were inaugurated on 9 April by the National Assembly.
Election schedule The Central Election Commission announced the campaign would begin at midday on 10 May and end at midnight on 7 June.
The current 49th Parliament was to stay in session at least until the election campaign begins, where a decision of election recess is expected to be adopted by Parliament. The 49th Parliament suspended its normal working process by an adopted election recess on 27 April. While on election recess the 49th Parliament could reconvene for an extraordinary sitting in exceptional circumstances. The 50th Parliament will replace the 49th Parliament as soon as the newly elected members are sworn in after the election.
On election day, polling opened at 07:00 and closed at 20:00.
Parties Parliamentary parties The table below lists the political party groups represented in the 49th National Assembly.
Name Ideology Position Leader(s) 2023 result Seats GERB–SDS GERB–SDS Conservatism Boyko Borisov 25.39% PP–DB We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria Liberalism Centre tocentre-right Kiril PetkovAssen VassilevHristo IvanovAtanas Atanasov 23.54% Revival Revival Ultranationalism Far-right Kostadin Kostadinov 13.58% DPS Movement for Rights and Freedoms Turkish minority interests Centre Delyan PeevskiDzhevdet Chakarov 13.18% BSPzB BSP for Bulgaria Social democracy Centre-left Korneliya Ninova 8.56% ITN There is Such a People Populism Right-wing Slavi Trifonov 3.94%
Contesting parties and coalitions Below is the official list of parties and coalitions that registered lists for the Bulgarian Parliamentary elections. Party or coalition Ideology Leader 2023 result Votes (%) Seats 1 ITN There is Such a People Right-wing populism Slavi Trifonov 3.94% 2 GN Peoples Voice Right-wing populism Svetoslav Vitkov 0.21% 3 Blue Bulgaria KOD Conservative Union of the Right National conservatismAnti-communism Petar Moskov 0.29% NDSV National Movement for Stability and Progress Liberalism Stanimir Ilchev 0.25% BDF National conservatismAnti-communism DNP DZ Movement for Democratic Action-DZ Liberal conservatism Stefan Ivanov DBG Bulgaria for Citizens Movement Liberalism KB Conservative Bulgaria National conservatism Boris Yachev RDP Radical-Democratic Party Social conservatismAnti-communism Zahari Petrov BND Bulgarian New Democracy Liberal conservatism Valeri Georgiev ZNS Agrarian People's Union AgrarianismConservatism Rumen Yonchev 4 We Citizens BP Left-wing nationalism Svetoslav Mandikov DNP BRSP Bulgarian Workers-Peasant Party Marxism-Leninism Georgi IvanovYordan Maldzhanski KOY Populism Natsiya UltranationalismHard Euroscepticism 5 INDIndependent candidateNational conservatismEconomic liberalismKuzman Iliev DNP 6 Bulgarian Voice BG Bulgarian Voice Bulgarian nationalism Georgi Popov DNP AzB Alternative for Bulgaria National conservatism New 7 Rose Coalition BSDE Bulgarian Social Democracy-EuroLeft Social Democracy Aleksandr Tomov 0.10% OBT Social democracyLabourism Yekaterina Atanasova DNP P2000 Patriotism 2000Julian Ivanov 8 Center Svoboda Bulgarian nationalism Vladimir Simeonov DNP BZP Bulgarian Agrarian Party Agrarianism Peycho Kasarov C National Movement "Center" Anti-corruptionPopulism Darin Drosev New 9 Solidary Bulgaria BL Bulgarian Left Democratic socialism Boyan Kirov DNP OSD Social democracy Yordan Gergov IS.BG Stand Up.BG Social democracyLeft-wing populism Maya Manolova Left! ND Social democracy SB Solidary Bulgaria Social democracy Vanya Grigorova New 10 E Unification CentrismLiberalism New 11 BNO Bulgarian National Unification Bulgarian nationalismNational conservatism 0.09% 12 Revival Revival UltranationalismRight-wing populism Kostadin Kostadinov 13.58% 13 MECh Morality, Unity, Honour Anti-corruptionSocial conservatism Radostin Vasilev New 14 PP–DB PP We Continue the Change LiberalismAnti-corruptionKiril PetkovAssen Vassilev 23.53% Volt Volt Bulgaria European federalismPro-Europeanism Nastimir Ananiev DSB Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria ConservatismAnti-communism Atanas Atanasov DB Yes, Bulgaria!LiberalismAnti-corruption Hristo Ivanov 15 ISI Anti-vaccinationUltranationalism 0.29% 16 BV Bulgarian Rise National conservatism Stefan Yanev 2.93% 17 Citizens Block BDS-R Bulgarian Democratic Union-Radicals Bulgarian nationalism Tsvetan Manchev DNP PBZ Party of Bulgarian Women Women's issues Vesela Draganova GB Citizens Block Anti-corruptionSocial conservatism Ivan Geshev New 18 ONB Social conservatism Margarit Mitsev DNP 19 The Left! ABV Alternative for Bulgarian Revival Social democracy Moderate social conservatism Rumen Petkov 2.14% ex-BSP faction Social democracy D21 Movement 21Social democracy Tatyana Doncheva ZS-AS Agrarian Union "Aleksandar Stamboliyski" Agrarianism ZP Green Party of Bulgaria Green politics Marina Dragomiretskaya DNP PDS Political Movement "Social Democrats" Social democracy Yelena Noneva NDSO National Movement for the Salvation of the Fatherland Left-wing nationalism Todor Rashev 20 PnZ Green politicsLeft-wing nationalism Vladimir Nikolov 21 NI We Are Coming Liberalism DNP 22 GERB–SDS GERB GERB Social conservatismPro-Europeanism Boyko Borisov 25.39% SDS SDS Christian democracyAnti-communism Rumen Hristov DG George's Day Movement National conservatismBulgarian nationalism Lyuben Dilov Jr. 23 BNU-ND Bulgarian National Union Ultranationalism 0.07% 24 BSP for Bulgaria BSP Bulgarian Socialist Party Social conservatismSocial democracy Korneliya Ninova 8.56% – Ecoglasnost Green politicsEnvironmentalism Trakiya Left wing nationalism Stefan Nachev MIR Left-wing nationalism 0.15% 25 Velichie Majesty Bulgarian nationalismAnti-corruption Nikolay Markov New 26 VMRO VMRO National conservatismBulgarian nationalism Krasimir Karakachanov DNP 27 PD Bulgarian nationalismDirect democracy DNP 28 DPS Movement for Rights and Freedoms Turkish minority interestsLiberalism Delyan PeevskiDzhevdet Chakarov 13.18% 29 ZD Green Movement Green liberalismGreen politics PP–DB 30 ZVB For a Great Bulgaria Bulgarian nationalism Kamen Popov New 31 BSDD Direct democracy 0.23% 32 Neutral Bulgaria RVO Russophiles for theRevival of the Fatherland RussophiliaNational conservatism 0.4% BKP Bulgarian Communist PartyCommunism Zonka Spasova PBK Party of the Bulgarian CommunistsCommunismMarxism–Leninism Collective leadership KPB Communist Party of Bulgaria Marxism–Leninism Alexander Paunov DNP
Campaign
Campaign slogans and websites
The following list present the official campaign slogans and websites of parties that contested the 2024 Bulgarian parliamentary election: