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Bulgaria elections head for tight finish | Bulgaria elections head for tight finish |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Exit polls in Bulgaria's parliamentary elections suggest the centre-right Gerb party of ex-PM Boiko Borisov has a narrow lead over its socialist rivals. | Exit polls in Bulgaria's parliamentary elections suggest the centre-right Gerb party of ex-PM Boiko Borisov has a narrow lead over its socialist rivals. |
As the polls closed in Sunday's vote, Gerb was projected to win 30-33% while the socialist BSP was on 25-27%. | As the polls closed in Sunday's vote, Gerb was projected to win 30-33% while the socialist BSP was on 25-27%. |
Protests against low living standards and widespread corruption forced the Gerb government to resign in February. | Protests against low living standards and widespread corruption forced the Gerb government to resign in February. |
The run-up to the election in the EU's poorest country has been marked by voter apathy and claims of fraud. | The run-up to the election in the EU's poorest country has been marked by voter apathy and claims of fraud. |
After the polls closed, crowds gathered outside the election centre at the Palace of Culture in Sofia to protest against any new attempt by Gerb to form a new government, the BBC's Nick Thorpe in Bulgaria reports. | |
Protesters chanting "Mafia" were involved in brief scuffles with police, Bulgarian news agencies said. | |
If the exit polls are correct, Gerb will fall well short of a majority in the 240-seat parliament. | If the exit polls are correct, Gerb will fall well short of a majority in the 240-seat parliament. |
In order to form a new government, it would then need the support of parties that have already declared their opposition to another Borisov-led administration. | |
Other parties expected to pass the 4% threshold needed to enter parliament are the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - which represents Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish minority - and the ultra-nationalist Ataka. | |
The centrist Bulgaria of the Citizens, led by former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, was thought to be close to the necessary threshold. | |
Economic and social crisis | |
The prospect of an election with no outright winner has raised fears of a hung parliament and further instability. | The prospect of an election with no outright winner has raised fears of a hung parliament and further instability. |
Before the polls closed, Bulgaria's central electoral commission said that turnout was down on the last elections in 2009. At 17:30 local time (14:30 GMT) - two-and-a-half hours before the end of voting - 41.3% of voters had cast their ballots. | |
President Rosen Plevneliev had earlier appealed to Bulgaria's 6.9 million voters to cast their votes to ensure a fair result: "Whatever scenarios exist, they don't stand a chance against millions of Bulgarians who can come out to vote." | |
A caretaker government has led Bulgaria since mass protests prompted Mr Borisov's resignation in February. | |
Before Sunday's vote, the centre-right leader had said he would be happy to go into opposition, and BSP leader Sergei Stanishev said if his party won he would not be prime minister. | |
Gerb has pledged to keep debts under control while the socialists say they will spend more and create jobs. | |
Bulgaria faces a major economic and social crisis, our correspondent says, with unemployment officially close to 12% but - unofficially - over 18%. | Bulgaria faces a major economic and social crisis, our correspondent says, with unemployment officially close to 12% but - unofficially - over 18%. |
'Scandal' | |
The election campaign had already been marred by revelations of illegal wiretapping of politicians, with prosecutors pointing the finger at former Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov. | |
Then, on Saturday, prosecutors said a printing house near the capital Sofia had been raided with the seizure of 350,000 ballot papers that were printed over the legally fixed number. | |
Mr Stanishev described the discovery as a "scandal". | Mr Stanishev described the discovery as a "scandal". |
He said it showed there had been "preparation for total falsification of the elections". | He said it showed there had been "preparation for total falsification of the elections". |
The discovery triggered a protest by members of some opposition parties outside parliament on Saturday. | The discovery triggered a protest by members of some opposition parties outside parliament on Saturday. |
More than 250 international observers are monitoring Sunday's election. | More than 250 international observers are monitoring Sunday's election. |