Sofia, 28 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Pro-Western parties are in the lead in the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, according to projections based on exit polls, following the country's seventh election in three and a half years.

Between 25.5%-26.4% of voters cast their ballots for the centre-right GERB-SDS alliance, two polling institutes, Gallup International Balkan and Alpha Research, said on Sunday after polls closed.

The second-strongest political force is the liberal-conservative alliance PP-DB, now projected to take 13.8%-14.4% down from 14.9%-15.4% of the vote.

Both alliances want to maintain Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic orientation and continue to support Ukraine in the armed conflict with Russia.

According to the latest data, the pro-Russian, nationalist and populist party Vazrazdane (Revival) came in third with between 13.0%-13.4% down from 12.9%-13.8%.

Vazrazdane, which has been represented in the EU Parliament since the European elections in June, wants to renegotiate the country's EU accession treaty, withdraw Bulgaria's NATO membership and push through a referendum on the introduction of the euro, which was postponed recently due to the high inflation rate.

According to the forecasts, a total of at least seven and at most nine parties could enter parliament in Sofia.

Political scientists expect the formation of a government to be difficult.

The election become necessary because no party was able to form a new government after the elections on June 9.

Until a regular government is formed, the current interim cabinet will continue to govern. Official preliminary results are not expected until Monday.

MIA file photo