Bulgaria's new anti-corruption party holds narrow lead in election

A newly founded anti-corruption party has held a narrow lead in the preliminary vote count from Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections.

A parallel count conducted by Gallup International gave the centrist We Continue the Change party 26.3% of the votes from the election on Sunday.

“We will be the number one political force,” the party's co-founder Kiril Petkov told reporters after initial results were released. 

“We will have a majority of 121 MPs in the 240-seat parliament and Bulgaria will have a regular coalition Cabinet,” he added.

His party held a narrow lead against the centre-right opposition GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov by just over three percentage points.

It could be days before the final official results are announced. If they confirm the initial counts, Petkov would be handed a mandate to form a new government.

READ MORE: Bulgarians vote in third election this year in bid to end political impasse

We Continue the Change

The party was founded only few weeks ago by two Harvard graduates, Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev.

It quickly won support due to their resolute anti-graft actions and pledges to bring transparency, zero tolerance for corruption and reforms to key sectors in the European Union's poorest member.

Petkov said his party was open to coalition talks with all the parties that were part of last year’s protests against Boyko Borissov’s government. Investigations by the current caretaker government showed alleged corruption cases.

READ MORE: Bulgaria sees anti-government protests for eighth day

Third elections in a year

Bulgaria held inconclusive general elections in April and July. Many hoped this third attempt to elect 240 lawmakers would result in a government that can lead the country out of its health and economic crises.

Five other parties appeared headed to winning spots in the 240-seat chamber, according to the exit poll.

They include the ethnic Turkish MRF party with 11.4%, the Socialist Party with 10.4% support, the anti-elite There is Such a People party with 9.3%, the liberal anti-corruption group Democratic Bulgaria with 6.4%, and the nationalist Revival party with 5%.

Some 6.7 million people were eligible to vote. The Central Election Commission said preliminary voter turnout was nearly 40%, lower than in previous elections.

The Gallup International exit poll also suggested that President Rumen Radev has a commanding lead in his quest for a second five-year term but will still have to face runner-up Anastas Gerdzhikov in a November 21 runoff as voter turnout remained below the needed 50%.

READ MORE: Analysis: Coalitions will offer little for Bulgarian politics