Bulgarian voters head to the polling stations on Sunday for the sixth snap parliamentary election in three years, but analysts see little chance of it producing a stable coalition that can put an end to a prolonged period of political instability.
Bulgaria, the poorest member of the European Union and one of its most corrupt states, has been plagued by revolving-door governments since anti-graft protests in 2020 helped topple a coalition led by the centre-right GERB party.
President Rumen Radev has had to appoint five caretaker governments since 2020 to steer the Black Sea nation as successive, inconclusive elections have thrown up unstable coalitions that have swiftly collapsed in acrimony.
Bulgaria sorely needs a period of stable, well-functioning government to accelerate the flow of EU funds into its creaking infrastructure and to nudge it towards joining the euro and fully participating in Europe's open-border Schengen area.
Plans to join the eurozone have already been pushed back twice because of missed inflation targets.
Bulgaria and its northern neighbour Romania removed passport checks on March 31 for people departing for or arriving from the Schengen area - including most other EU member states - by air and sea but road and rail travellers still face checks.
Apathy is one of the main challenges in Sunday's election, when Bulgarian voters will also be choosing their representatives for the European Parliament.
Many Bulgarians, deeply distrustful of a political class they have come to see as corrupt and inept, do not believe their votes will make any difference.
"I have decided firmly not to vote... I voted for a long time, but with so many alliances, I just don't want to take part any more in such a circus," said 71-year-old photographer Ivan Dobromirov.
Bulgaria holds another snap election to end political instability
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- Abdallah: The main goal of our initiative is to achieve an internal Lebanese settlement to preserve the country, and we, as Lebanese, must help ourselves
- MP Tony Frangieh: We cannot remain idle in the face of the paralysis Lebanon is experiencing, and we are open to any constructive dialogue that is free from the narrow interests of some, and there is no alternative to dialogue
- Tony Frangieh: We must work on finding internal solutions rather than relying on external ones, and our hand is extended to any initiative that preserves the national interest, hoping that the Democratic Gathering initiative will bring solutions
- Tony Frangieh: If Sleiman Frangieh is unable to reach the presidency or withdraws from the race, which is not being considered at this time, the parliamentary majority is capable of electing a president, but that is not what we are striving for
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