GERB Wins Parliamentary Elections 2009 in Bulgaria

The new centre-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB) of Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov won Bulgaria's general elections with 39.7 percent support, official results showed, with 99.88 percent of the ballots counted.

Photo: GERB Wins Parliamentary Elections 2009 in Bulgaria

Borisov had previously claimed victory in Sunday's vote, saying that he will quickly form a centre-right government, although he stopped short of saying who its allies would be.

The outgoing Socialists of Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev suffered a stinging defeat, garnering only 17.72 percent support. They had won the last election in 2005 with 33.98 percent.

The Turkish minority MRF party, a junior coalition partner in the last government, won 14.47 percent. The ultra nationalist Ataka party came fourth with 9.37 percent.

Two other right-wing parties also entered parliament -- the Blue Coalition with 6.73 percent and the newly-formed Order, Lawfulness, Justice party with 4.13 percent.

Both said they were ready to join GERB in a coalition government, AFP reports.

GERB won on a promise to uproot the deep-seated crime that prompted the EU last year to cut aid, capitalising on voter anger over the Socialist-led government's failure to stem graft and prevent economic pain, Reuters reports.

"Those who have stolen should be very afraid... The thieves will go to jail," the 50-year-old former bodyguard told reporters, adding that "updating the budget was the first thing" his government would do, BBC News reports.