Pro-Europe party leads in Bulgaria vote

SOFIA, Bulgaria — The center-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov took the lead in Bulgaria’s parliamentary election on Sunday, a pair of exit polls showed, a result that if confirmed by official returns indicates support for the country keeping its European identity.

The leader of the Socialists Party later conceded defeat and said the party would not take part in a coalition government with GERB, whose initials translate to “coat of arms” in Bulgarian.

If they confirm the exit polls, Borisov, a political maverick who combines man-in-the-street rhetoric with a pro-European Union disposition, will be handed a mandate to form his third cabinet.

GERB did not win enough votes to govern alone, and will probably form a coalition government with the United Patriots, an alliance of three nationalist parties that the exit polls showed placing third.

Ninova congratulated GERB as the election’s winner, and ruled out any option of serving in a coalition government with the center-right party.

The GERB party’s popularity faded during Borisov’s previous term as prime minister because of the slow pace of reforms to eliminate graft and poverty and to overhaul the judicial system.