Five Parties to Enter Parliament in Bulgaria's Early Election - Poll

Five parties will make it to Bulgaria's legislature in the upcoming parliamentary election in March, but others also stand a chance, a poll has suggested.

According to Alpha Research pollsters' projection, conservative GERB party of Boyko Borisov, which dominated the previous government, will lead by a margin of less than 2%, garnering 31.5% of the vote.

Those determined to cast a ballot have given the second-biggest share of support to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), at 29.6%.

Next is the nationalist alliance named United Patriots, with 10.8% of the vote, followed by ethnic Turk-dominated, liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms party (DPS), which will muster 6.8% of the ballots, according to the projection.

The last party that will certainly enter parliament is Volya ("Will") of political newbie Veselin Mareshki, with 5.7% of the vote.

The Reformist Bloc, a loose alliance of centrist and right-wing parties which was the junior partner in the previous government, will garner some 3.9%, just below the four-percent electoral barrier.

This is the right-wing entity that stands the biggest chance to make it through to Parliament, with the other two, New Republic and Yes, Bulgaria, at 1.5% and 2.6%, respectively.

ABV, the left-wing party that joined hands with Movement 21 for the election, will get 2.9%, according to Alpha Research.

Other parties will get 2%, while those ticking the "I Do Not Support Anyone" option in the ballot will be 2.7% of decided voters.

Some 66% of those who took part in the poll told Alpha Research they intended on casting a ballot.

Another 11.2% said they would not go to the polls, while 22% answered they were undecided.

The figures suggest...