Georgi Karasimeonov(Ed.) BA R O M E T ER Bulgaria’s Political Parties Year 15, Issue 2, April-June 2015 In the coming months, the political situation will be determined mainly by the forth­coming elections for local authorities. This might delay the efforts related to reforms which the government is trying to carry out and they may be postponed till after the elections. GERB maintains its position as a leading political force, with an almost twofold advan­tage ahead of the second party BSP. At this stage, GERB has no real government alterna­tive, which gives it confidence in the forthcoming local elections. Most probably GERB will strengthen their presence in the local authorities, which may be a prerequisite for a re-structuring of the political arena in this country. The local elections will be a big challenge for the Reformists Bloc. It looks like they will be a cornerstone not only for the unity of the Bloc, but also for its future. At this stage some contradictions arise regarding the principles on which the joint candidates of RB will be nominated. The crisis processes in BSP are still going on. In inner-party terms, some tension exists between the different camps in the party. At this stage, Mihail Mikov seems to manage to balance between them, but he cannot find ways out of the crisis and strengthen the opposition role of BSP. The cadre deficit in the party, as well as the lack of ideal renewal, do not allow the electoral support for it to grow. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office Bulgaria Analyses