Progressive Bulgaria leads in early election results with just over 43%

The Progressive Bulgaria coalition led by former President Rumen Radev was leading in preliminary election results that the country's Central Election Commission began releasing hours after Sunday's early parliamentary polls.

According to the initial results, with just over 7% of the ballots processed, Progressive Bulgaria held 43.46%.

The We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition was in second place with just under 14%, narrowly ahead of the Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces coalition with 12.83%, the BTA news agency reported.

The Revival party followed with 5.1% support, while the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party was projected to win just 5.01%, slightly above the threshold required to enter parliament.

A total of 14 political parties and 10 alliances are competing in the vote.

Under the electoral system, parties must secure at least 121 seats in the 240-member parliament to form a government.

According to the research center Trend, Progressive Bulgaria is projected to win 134 seats, followed by Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria-Union of Democratic Forces with 38 and We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria with 37.

Movement for Rights and Freedoms-New Beginning is projected to take 19 seats, while Revival is seen winning 12.

According to the Central Election Commission, over 6.5 million people were eligible to vote in Sunday's election, and as of 4 pm local time (1300GMT), voter turnout nationwide stood at 34.63%.

Since 2021, the Balkan country of roughly 6.5 million people has struggled with fragmented parliaments, failed coalition negotiations and deep political divisions, resulting in short-lived governments and repeated caretaker administrations appointed by the presidency.