GERB leads in Bulgaria's parliamentary polls

The center-right GERB party is leading in the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on Sunday, winning about one third of the votes, according to exit polls announced at the Bulgarian National TV channel.

Boriana Dimitrova, managing partner of Alpha Research Agency, said that GERB is expected to have 32.2 percent of the votes, against 28.0 percent for the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

The agency said they would be followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) with 9.7 percent, the United Patriots with 9.5 percent, and Volya party with 5.1 percent, while the Reformist Bloc-People's Voice coalition was just at the 4-percent borderline with 4.0 percent.

Zhivko Georgiev from Gallup International said in turn that GERB has got 32.8 percent of the votes, followed by BSP with 28.4, the United Patriots with 8.8 percent, MRF with 7.8 percent and Volya party with 4.6 percent, while the Reformist Bloc-People's Voice coalition was with 3.8 percent.

As number of legislators in the 240-seat parliament, according to Alpha Research, GERB would have from 86 to 88, BSP -- 75 to 77, MRF -- 25 to 27, the Patriots -- 25 to 27, Volya -- 13 to 15 and the Reformists -- 10 to 11.

According to Gallup International, GERB would have from 94 to 98 seats, BSP -- 81 to 85, the Patriots -- 24 to 28, MRF -- 20 to 24, and Volya -- 12 to 14.

First forecasts based on partial parallel count are expected to be available later on Sunday, and the official results are expected to be released on Thursday.

Earlier on Sunday, after casting a ballot in a polling station in Sofia, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev called for rapid formation of the new government.

Radev said he hoped that the parties that will enter parliament, will show "common sense and national responsibility, and at the cost of compromises that are inevitable in this situation", the new government will be formed as quickly as possible.

The elections were scheduled after the GERB party-led coalition cabinet resigned in mid-November last year, and the parliamentary parties failed to form a new cabinet.