(ANSA-AFP) - SOFIA, JAN 14 - Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev
announced on Thursday that he has set an April 4 date for the
country's next general election. A vehement critic of the
outgoing cabinet of conservative Prime Minister Boyko Borisov,
Radev had initially said he preferred the first possible date,
March 28. But after a round of consultations with political
parties he said Thursday the date had been pushed back a week to
allow more time to prepare coronavirus safety measures. "I
signed a decree today for the organisation of parliamentary
elections on April 4," Radev said in a televised address to the
nation. The European Union's poorest member state was rocked by
months of anti-government street protests over the summer
demanding the resignation of Borisov's cabinet. The coronavirus
epidemic however quelled the massive rallies and the three-time
premier has clung on to power. Borisov resigned before the end
of each of his previous two terms in office. He has indicated he
wants to remain politically active but won't seek a new
four-year term as prime minister. An Alpha Research poll in
January showed Borisov's GERB party edging slightly ahead of the
Socialist BSP, garnering 24.3 percent of the vote to BSP's 21.9.
Alpha Research warned that on current trends the next
legislature would be highly fractured, containing up to six
parties and making the formation of a stable government
difficult. (ANSA-AFP).
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