Pro-European party takes lead in Bulgarian snap elections

The pro-European GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) has taken an early lead in the snap parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, gaining 33.18 percent of the vote with less than 17 percent of the ballots counted, Bulgaria’s electoral commission said Sunday. In second place, with 27.45 percent, came the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Its leader, Kornelia Ninova, has already conceded defeat to GERB, promising that her party will not be a part of a coalition. However, Ninova added she is ready to form a government if GERB, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, fails to do so. Apart from two main parties, another three political entities managed to meet 4 percent threshold required to enter parliament, including the nationalist alliance United Patriots and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), which represents Bulgaria’s Turkish minority. An official tally of the votes is expected to be released on Thursday.