SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgarians went to the polls on Sunday to vote in the country's early parliamentary election, the eighth such vote in five years.

Nearly 6.6 million voters are eligible to elect 240 lawmakers among more than 4,700 candidates from 14 political parties and 10 coalitions, as well as one independent candidate, according to the Central Election Commission.

The polling stations opened nationwide at 7 am and were due to close at 8 pm on Sunday (Monday morning, Beijing time), the commission said.

Meanwhile, polling stations in 55 countries and regions are available for Bulgarians living abroad to cast their ballots.

Exit polls would be announced immediately after stations close in the country, and the final results should be announced no later than Thursday.

The elections became inevitable after Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's coalition government resigned in December amid large-scale protests over the ruling majority's economic policy, and parliamentary parties subsequently failed to elect a new government.

Zhelyazkov's government took power on Jan 16 last year after snap elections in October 2024.

Opinion polls on Friday showed former president Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria securing about 35 percent of the vote, up from a month ago. If confirmed, that would mark one of the strongest results by a single party in years, though still short of a parliamentary majority.

Radev, a former fighter pilot, stepped down from the presidency in January to run in the election.

"Any coalition that is formed is likely to suffer from government instability and face significant scrutiny from civil society and the opposition," said Mario Bikarski, an analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

"Another snap election in 2026 is less likely now, but remains a significant possibility," he said.

Xinhua - Agencies