Sofia - Bulgarians flocked to polling stations Sunday morning to cast their ballots in the early hours of the first parliamentary election since their country joined the European Union. Local reports testified to long lines of people waiting to vote. Some 9.8 per cent of the 6.9 million registered voters had already turned out by 10:00 am (0700 GMT), four hours into the election, the state election commission said.
Socialist Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev is seeking re-election, but his bid has been hampered by a series of corruption scandals and the economic downturn.
Pollsters predicted an indecisive election result however, with Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov's new GERB party expected to win the most votes, but nowhere nearly enough for a clear victory.
Another three or four parties are expected to win at least 4 per cent of the votes, the qualifying threshold for the 240-seat parliament.
Campaigning was marred by reports of widespread vote-buying, a practice in which parties pay leaders in poor communities, mostly among the Roma, to secure their support on election day.
Voting ends at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT), with exit polls expected shortly after that. However, because of the complex mixed-electoral system, the first reliable results are not expected before Monday.
Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004 and the EU three years later, but remains plagued by poverty and widespread corruption, which last year spurred Brussels into suspending or scrapping a billion dollars worth ofaid.
