Sofia, 10 June 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The pro-Western centre-right alliance Gerb-SDS has emerged as the clear winner of Bulgaria's early parliamentary elections on Sunday, according to initial projections.

The vote, Bulgaria's sixth parliamentary election in just over three years, took place parallel to the European Parliament elections.

The centre-right Gerb-SDS alliance of former prime minister Boiko Borisov, which was in power until March, was projected to receive between 23.5% and 25.2% of votes, according to data from opinion research institutes published on Sunday night.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), traditionally representing Bulgaria's Turkish minority, surprisingly looked set to come in second with between 16% and 17.6% of votes.

Both the liberal-conservative PP-DB bloc, which governed in a coalition with Gerb-SDS until March, and the pro-Russian, EU-sceptic Vazrazhdane (Revival) party had a chance of coming third with around 14% each.

In view of a massive drop in votes, the co-chairman of the liberal PP, Kiril Petkov, wrote on Facebook that they would now be a "strong opposition" party.

According to the projections, seven parties will enter the newly elected parliament in Sofia - one more than after the April 2023 election.

The populist Velichie (Greatness) party, which emerged as a regional party in north-eastern Bulgaria, appeared set to overcome the 4% hurdle to enter the national parliament at its first attempt.

Political analysts expected it to be difficult to form a government in view of the fragmented parliament landscape emerging.

The pro-Western liberal-conservative coalition government led by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, which was painstakingly formed a year ago, collapsed in March due to disputes over reforms, personnel and positions of power.

The current interim cabinet will remain in office until a new government is formed.

According to pollsters, voter turnout in the early parliamentary election was quite low at around 30%. As the parliamentary vote in Bulgaria ran parallel to the European elections, official partial results were not expected until Monday.

Photo: EPA