January 10 (SeeNews) - Four political parties will enter Bulgaria's new parliament if early elections were held now, a poll showed on Tuesday.
Centre-right GERB party, the dominant partner in the minority coalition government which resigned in November, will win 26.1% of the vote, while main opposition Socialists will come in close second with 24.9% support, according to a survey conducted by local research agency Exacta.
The nationalist Patriotic Front coalition and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which represents mainly ethnic Turks and Muslims,
will attract 10.5% and 4% of the vote, respectively, according to the results of the survey posted on Exacta's website.
Three other parties will remain under the 4% threshold to enter parliament - the junior partner in the outgoing government coalition, the Reformist Bloc with 3.5% support, newly founded Will party led by businessman Veselin Mareshki (3.3%) and right-wing DSB with 2.1%.
Bulgaria has been in a political deadlock since November following the resignation of the GERB-led coalition government over the defeat of GERB’s candidate in the presidential elections.
GERB, the Socialists and the Reformist Bloc all refused to form a new government within the current parliament, opening the way for early elections. President-elect Rumen Radev is expected to dissolve parliament and call early elections after he takes office later this month. The snap vote is likely to take place in April.
The Exacta survey was conducted among 1,000 respondents in the period December 27 - December 30. Its results broadly concur with the findings of a poll conducted by Market Links research agency and revealed on Tuesday.
If early elections were held in Bulgaria now, GERB will win 24% of the vote, while opposition Socialists would follow close second with 21.2% support, according to the Market Links survey. Three other parties will also enter parliament, according to Market Links: the Patriotic Front with 8% of the vote, Will party (4.1%), and DPS (4%).