The GERB party of ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov looked set to win Sunday's election in Bulgaria, the nation's fourth in under two years, with many voters looking for predictability from a former leader amid steep inflation and energy costs, Trend reports citing Reuters.
Exit polls by Gallup International and Alpha Research showed the centre-right GERB with 24.6%-25.5% of ballots.
GERB's main rival, the reformist We Continue the Change party, led by Kiril Petkov, whose coalition government collapsed in June, came second with 18.9-19.9% according to the exit polls.
If confirmed, the result would herald tough coalition talks ahead that could still end in a hung parliament or even another ballot.
Either would prolong policy instability and raise the prospect of Sofia missing its 2024 target date for entry into the euro zone.