Gallup poll predicts GERB-UDF will have 10% lead in the upcoming elections on June 9, tight race for second place

The centre-right GERB party of former Prime Minister, Boyko Borissov, holds a 10% lead in Bulgaria’s early general elections on June 9, results of public opinion polls by “Gallup international” show two days before the elections on June 7.

At this stage, it is difficult to determine who would actually be second and third. According to the Gallup poll, there is a tight race for the second place - We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria is predicted to get 15.7% of the vote, “Vazrazhdane” (Revival) - 15.5%, Movement for Rights and Freedoms - 15.3%. Bulgarian Socialist Party wins 8% per cent and There’s Such a People - 6.1%.

In a relatively comfortable position close to the electoral threshold are "Solidarna Bulgaria" with 3.1% and "Blue Bulgaria" with 2.8%, Gallup noted.

As at the beginning of June, the voter turnout for the elections for National Assembly is expected to be 40.2%. Of all voters, 3.5% say they will vote "I do not support anyone".

When it comes to the European Parliament elections, the turnout is expectedly lower - 37.7%. 3.1% declare a firm intention to vote "I do not support anyone" in the European Parliament elections.

For the European Parliament, as expected, the declarative shares of votes cast for parties, coalitions and candidates are similar to those for the National Assembly elections, but there are some differences.

GERB-UDF would get 25.7% of the support, WCC-DB - 15.9%, "Vazrazhdane" - 15.4%, MRF - 14.9%, BSP - 7.9%. TISP with 5.9% is just on the verge of the threshold to secure representation in the EP. "Solidarna Bulgaria" would get 3%, "Blue Bulgaria" - 2.6%.

Those hesitating whether to vote or not are the factor that can bring change in the positions, Gallup pollster Yanitsa Petkova pointed out in the BNT’s "The Day Begins" programme on June 7. People who wait until the last minute decide not just for whom to vote, but whether to vote at all, she explained. In her words, the political parties did not run their most active campaign - neither in terms of topics nor in terms of political and media participation.

*The data are from a survey by Gallup International Balkan for the Bulgarian National Radio. It covers 1,003 adult Bulgarians in a representative sample and was conducted through face-to-face interviews with tablets between 29 May and 4 June. The poll cannot