July 11 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria’s centre-right coalition of GERB and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) won Sunday's early general election with a one-percentage point lead over its main opponent, populist formation There Is Such a People (TISP), exit polls showed.
Six parties, including three anti-establishment political formations with a strong anti-corruption agenda, crossed the 4% threshold for entry into parliament, according to exit polls by Sofia-based polling agencies Gallup International Balkan and Alpha Research, quoted by public television BNT.
Exit polls conducted by Alpha Research showed support for GERB led by three-times prime minister Boyko Borissov at 23.5% versus 22.3% for TISP led by showman Slavi Trifonov. According to Sofia-based Gallup International, GERB has 22.1% support against 21.5% for TISP.
Two political formations - Bulgarian Socialist Party and the anti-status quo Democratic Bulgaria coalition - are locked in a neck-to-neck race for the third place, each backed by 14%, according to Alpha Research. According to Gallup International Balkan, the Socialists have 15.1% support versus 13.7% for Democratic Bulgaria.
They are followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which is drawing support mainly among Bulgarian ethnic Turks and Muslims, with some 12%, and Rise Up, Thugs Out! led by ex-ombudsman Maya Manolova with 5%.
In May, Bulgarian president Rumen Radev dissolved parliament and called snap elections for July 11, after none of the three biggest political formations that entered the National Assembly after the April 4 regular vote - GERB-UDF, TISP and the Socialists, failed to assemble a government coalition. A total of six political parties entered parliament after the April vote, neither of them having enough seats to govern on its own.
Now, the same six political forces are set to enter the next parliament.
The results of the vote suggest a fragmented parliament in which parties will face an uphill battle to form a government coalition.
Voter turnout stood at 27.20% by 4 pm local time, according to data from the Central Electoral Commission.
Polling stations in Bulgaria closed at 8 pm local time.