Bulgarian parties tried to cobble together a government on Monday after an election delivered a split parliament and left the European Union's poorest country in political stalemate.
Other parties were reluctant to work with center-right GERB, which won 30.7 percent of votes cast on Sunday and will have first go at forming a government. Nearly complete results showed an unpredictable nationalist group had the balance of power.
GERB leader Boiko Borisov resigned from government in February during nationwide protests. His party is mired in allegations of corruption and the second-place Socialists said they would look to ensure it did not return to power.
The often outspoken Borisov kept an unusually low profile and GERB – which held debt and spending low before quitting during the protests – did not hold a post-election rally or make grandiose victory claims.
"There is nothing dramatic if we cannot form a government. But for the others after us, it will be extremely hard, too," said Ivailo Moskovski, a senior GERB member and former minister.
Widespread disenchantment with the voting process was reflected in turnout figures of just 53 percent, the lowest for any parliamentary election since the fall of communism in 1989.
Six years after joining the EU, many of Bulgaria's 7.3 million people are angry about low living standards and graft, following a campaign that consisted more of mud-slinging than presenting clear policies, and was marred by scandals over wiretapping and illegal ballots that hurt GERB's support.
Combined with allegations of vote buying, those scandals damaged public trust in the election process, although polling was generally well-conducted, said the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which monitored the election.
'GETTING GERB OUT OF POWER'
Bulgaria has been run by a caretaker government since former bodyguard Borisov resigned from office in February during protests against low living standards and corruption, in which seven people set themselves on fire.
The unclear result of Sunday's election raises questions over economic policy and could mean another ballot will be needed, possibly in September, analysts and pollsters said.
With 96 percent of ballots counted, the Socialists were in second place, with 27.0 percent of the vote. Ethnic Turkish party MRF had 10.6 percent and nationalist Attack 7.4 – though final results could change once votes from abroad, in particular Turkey, are counted.
That would give GERB 98 seats in the 240-member parliament and it could command a tiny majority with backing from Attack, as it did to form a government in 2009. Attack leader Volen Siderov ruled that out late on Sunday though that may be a negotiating position that could be softened.
Socialist leader Sergei Stanishev said he was certain that GERB would not be able to form a government and that his party was ready to hold talks with MRF, Attack and citizens' organizations to form a cabinet to avoid new protests.
"The first task is to get GERB out of power," Stanishev said. "We will take the responsibility to form a government."
While the Socialists can count on support from traditional partner MRF, it may be hard to convince it and Attack, which has a track record of anti-Turkish rhetoric, to cooperate.
Some 200 demonstrators rallied on Sunday night outside the venue planned for a news conference, waving Bulgarian flags, burning torches and chanting "Mafia". But there was no sign of renewed demonstrations on a similar scale as February, when tens of thousands protested against high energy bills, low living standards and corruption.
As it became clear GERB seniors would not show up, leaders of small parties formed by protesters, which will not enter parliament, took to the platform to decry politicians and demand more help for Bulgaria's poorest.
"I already voted at the previous elections and I saw that nothing changed. On the contrary, it became worse," said Deyan Enchev, 24, a student in Sofia.
