Bulgaria's GERB-UDF wins snap vote, two pro-Russian parties enter parl - prelim official results

The country's sixth vote for members of the National Assembly in three years was held alongside elections for members of European parliament.

Seven political formations, including two pro-Russian parties, crossed the 4% threshold for entry into the 240-seat unicameral parliament, according to figures published by the Central Election Commission, based on 50.96% of the ballots counted.

The reformist coalition comprising We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB) garnered 15.37% of the votes, closely followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which draws support mainly from Bulgarian ethnic Turk population, with 15.14% and the staunchly nationalist and pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party with 14.52%.

According to the preliminary official results, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the populist party There is Such a People (TISP), led by musician and showman Slavi Trifonov, received 6.89% and 6.45% of voter support, respectively.

The pro-Russian nationalist party Velichie will enter the National Assembly for the first time, backed by 5.09% of votes.

Six formations will have representatives in the European Parliament, based on 49.88% of the ballots counted.

GERB-UDF was supported by nearly 23% of voters, followed by some 15.7% for WCC-DB and 14.9% for Vazrazhdane.

MRF gathered 11.12% of votes, followed by 7.06% for BSP, while TISP will be the last party to enter European Parliament after winning 6.6%. Velichie did not secure enough votes to have a representative in the European Parliament, according to the preliminary official results.

Bulgaria currently has 17 MEPs and will send the same number of representatives to the next European Parliament. To win a seat, political parties, coalitions or independent candidates must secure at least one-seventeenth of all valid votes.