Krasimir Karakachanov

Leaders and supporters of the United Patriots blockaded Bulgaria's main checkpoint with Turkey, Kapitan Andreevo, at 10am on Tuesday, claiming they were seeking to stop busloads of Bulgarian Turks arriving from Turkey to vote in the weekend's parliamentary elections.

Austria's Ambassador to Sofia Roland Hauser has turned out to be the most popular personality in Novinite's 2016 poll.

Apart from winning the contest's Diplomacy category, Mr Hauser has obtained the biggest share of votes among all nominees.

Patriotic Front (PF) co-leader Krasimir Karakachanov has downplayed any division existing between the two main parties within the nationalist alliance or among other of its parties.

In an interview with public broadcaster BNT, Karakachanov has blamed "hybrid warfare" for the reports he is increasingly at odds with Valeri Simeonov, the chairman of NFSB party and also PF co-leader.

External pressure is probably being applied on Bulgaria to avoid the formation of a nationalist-led cabinet, Patriotic Front co-leader Krasimir Karakachanov has said.

In an interview with private bTV broadcaster, he has pointed to the PF's desire to change relations with the EU as the main reason for non-Bulgarian actors to work against a possible cabinet composed by his coalition.

Bulgarian President-elect has turned down the invitation by incumbent Rosen Plevneliev to take part in the Consultative Council on National Security (KSNS) taking place on Tuesday.

Rumen Radev, who won the presidential election earlier this month, has said he cannot attend the council before having assumed his duties.

The independent candidate supported by BSP for President Rumen Radev receives the vote of 49.6% of the voters on the eve of the second round of elections on Sunday.

A total of 39.1% of voters will vote for GERB's candidate Tsetska Tsacheva, showed data of Alpha Research. 11.3% of the participants of the survey stated that they will not vote.

For the first time in Bulgaria's post-communist history, a socialist-backed candidate has fared better in the capital Sofia than all other contenders in an election, election data shows.

Rumen Radev, the candidate supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) whose running mate is a long-time party member, has garnered 25.77% of the vote, with 99.32% of ballot protocols counted.

Bulgaria's second-largest opposition party DPS has said it throws its support behind the socialist-backed candidate in the presidential elections.

Rumen Radev has emerged as a winner of the first round, defeating Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's candidate Tsetska Tsacheva.

Rumen Radev, the socialist-backed candidate, is on the lead in the first round of Bulgaria's presidential elections, exit poll data shows.

Gallup Internatioinal has projected 24.9% support for Radev, while the candidate of the main ruling GERB party, Tsetska Tsacheva, has ranked second, having mustered 22%.

The Bulgarian national interest will be the core priority of the newly emerged nationalist coalition even after the presidential election, candidate Krasimir Karakachanov has said.