The political crisis in Bulgaria in the period 2021–2023 constitutes a very interesting political phenomenon, due to the fact that the main protesters demand was the introduction of reforms aiming to regain the captured state. The resistence of the status quo parties led to a political clinch, carousel of five parliamentary elections within two years, four interim governments and a temporary reinforcement of president’s power. This paper aims to provide a chronological account of the political developments during the crisis through the prism of the interaction between the reformers camp and the political elites associated with the state capture. An analysis of the chronology of events and the elections data provide food for thought on the limited ability to introduce changes through elections in a captured state, as well as to identify some of the features of the “status quo” political survival strategy.