This is the second time the Balkan nation, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has clashed with Brussels bureaucrats after Sofia rejected EU-backed anti-corruption legislation earlier this year. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said today the ruling GERB party has withdrawn the European treaty, designed to combat violence against women, from ratification in parliament after strong opposition expressed by religious and political groups. The centre-right government, led by Mr Borissov, submitted the Council of Europe convention for ratification last month but the move divided opinion in the EU’s poorest country. The dispute overshadows Mr Borissov's efforts to present the ex-communist state, which joined the European Union in 2007, as a progressive and open-minded country during its first stint as chair of the bloc.

It also highlights widespread resistance among the more socially conservative countries of the former eastern bloc to the liberal values of wealthier western Europe. Speaking to Bulgarian television station bTV, Mr Borissov confirmed the GERB would not proceed with the ratification of the treaty, also known as the Istanbul Convention, due to lack of support from political parties, including the nationalist United Patriots, its junior coalition partner. It comes after Volen Siderov, a United Patriots' co-leaders, warned the party against parliamentary approval for the treaty, saying it could lead to the fall of the government and early parliamentary elections. Ahead of the decision, Mr Borissov said: "We will adopt the Istanbul Convention only if there is a consensus in Bulgarian society,”during an interview on Wednesday night, three weeks after his party decided to delay the vote to allow more time for debate.

Critics of the treaty, including the influential Bulgarian Orthodox Church, say it could encourage young people to identify as transgender or third sex and lead to same-sex marriage in the country of 7.1 million people. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev also came out against the treaty, saying the loose and vague language used in the text allows for multiple interpretations, which could result in dire consequences for the Black Sea state. The president, who was elected in November 2016, argued that the convention itself does not prevent violence, adding the problem still exists in countries that have already ratified it. The Socialists, the main opposition party in the Balkan country, even demanded a referendum on the issue. Bulgaria's government signed the 81-article document in 2016 and parliamentary ratification is the next step. More than 40 countries have signed the treaty. </s> SOFIA: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that the ruling GERB party is withdrawing a European treaty designed to combat violence against women from ratification in parliament over strong opposition expressed by religious and political groups.

The centre-right government, led by Borissov, submitted the Council of Europe convention for ratification last month but the move divided opinion in the European Union’s poorest country, which now holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

The dispute overshadows Borissov’s efforts to present the ex-communist state, which joined the European Union in 2007, as a progressive and open-minded country during its first stint as chair of the bloc.

It also highlights widespread resistance among the more socially conservative countries of the former eastern bloc to the liberal values of wealthier western Europe.

Speaking to Bulgarian television station bTV, Borissov said that GERB would not proceed with the ratification of the treaty, also known as the Istanbul Convention, due to lack of support from political parties, including the nationalist United Patriots, its junior coalition partner.

A few days ago, Volen Siderov, one of United Patriots’ co-leaders, said that if GERB sought parliamentary approval for the treaty, this could lead to the fall of the government and early parliamentary elections.

"We will adopt the Istanbul Convention only if there is a consensus in Bulgarian society," Borissov said during an interview on Wednesday night, three weeks after his party decided to delay the vote to allow more time for debate.

Critics of the treaty, including the influential Bulgarian Orthodox Church, say it could encourage young people to identify as transgender or third sex and lead to same-sex marriage in the country of 7.1 million people.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev also came out against ratification, saying the loose and vague language used in the text allows for multiple interpretations, the consequences of which may be dire for the Black Sea state.

He also said that the convention itself does not prevent violence, adding the problem still exists in countries that have already ratified it.

The Socialists, the main opposition party in the Balkan country, even demanded a referendum on the issue.

Bulgaria's government signed the 81-article document in 2016 and parliamentary ratification is the next step. In all, more than 40 countries have signed. </s> SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria’s ruling GERB party has withdrawn from parliament a European treaty designed to combat violence against women in the face of opposition from its allies in government and religious groups.

The center-right government of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov submitted the Council of Europe convention for ratification last month but language around gender roles triggered uproar in the European Union’s poorest country, which now holds the bloc’s rotating presidency.

The dispute overshadows Borissov’s efforts to present the ex-communist state, which joined the EU in 2007, as a progressive and open-minded country during its first stint as chair of the bloc.

It also highlights widespread resistance among the more socially conservative countries of the former eastern bloc to the liberal values of wealthier western Europe.

Speaking to Bulgarian television station bTV, Borissov said that GERB would not proceed with the ratification of the treaty, also known as the Istanbul Convention, due to lack of support from political parties, including the nationalist United Patriots, its junior coalition partner.

“We will adopt the Istanbul Convention only if there is a consensus in Bulgarian society,” Borissov said during an interview on Wednesday night, three weeks after his party decided to delay the vote to allow more time for debate.

Volen Siderov, one of United Patriots’ co-leaders, had warned that if GERB sought parliamentary approval for the treaty, it could lead to the fall of the government and early parliamentary elections. The opposition Socialists had even demanded a referendum on the issue.

LOST IN TRANSLATION?

The dispute appeared to center on the treaty’s definition of ‘gender’ as “social roles, behaviors, activities and characteristics that a particular society considers appropriate for women and men”.

Some observers said the translation of the text into Bulgarian could be to blame.

The Bulgarian version uses the Bulgarian for ‘sex’ - the biological difference between man and woman - as the translation for ‘gender’, which can refer more broadly to the social roles of men and women. Bulgarian does not have a specific equivalent for the word gender.

Critics, including the influential Bulgarian Orthodox Church, said such language could encourage young people to identify as transgender or third sex and lead to same-sex marriage in the country of 7.1 million people.

“In practice, this makes it possible to legalize same-sex marriages – if one of the two married partners in a legally married couple changes their sex, according to the Istanbul Convention, a same-sex family is created,” the nationalist VMRO party, part of an alliance with the co-ruling United Patriots, said in a statement.

Daniel Smilov, a political analyst at the Centre for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, noted the issue with the translation.

“This is a linguistic problem and is easy to fix,” he said. “What’s more important is the change in the political atmosphere in the country.”

“With this retreat, GERB shows it can be easily squeezed by its nationalist partners... even retreating from its pro-European orientation.”

Siderov said he was “glad that Prime Minister Boyko Borissov listened to my advice”.

“If they (GERB) had continued their efforts to adopt it, it would have shaken the stability of the state.”

Bulgaria’s government signed the 81-article document in 2016 and parliamentary ratification is the next step. In all, more than 40 countries have signed.

Bulgaria’s EU neighbor Romania has ratified the convention, but Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have not yet. Nor have Britain, Croatia, Greece or Ireland. Council of Europe members Azerbaijan and Russia have yet to sign. </s> MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party is leading in Sunday's snap parliamentary election with 32.8 percent of the votes, the exit poll showed.

According to the Gallup International poll for Nova TV, 28.4 percent voted for its main rival — the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

The poll showed that the United Patriots party with 8.8 percent, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 7.8 percent and the Volya party with 4.8 percent of the votes all passed the 4-percent threshold to be represented in the parliament. </s> SOFIA, BULGARIA—The centre-right 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 Alpha Research exit poll said Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, known by its acronym, GERB, won 32.2 per cent of the vote, with the Socialist Party coming in second with 28 per cent, while a separate exit poll by Gallup International Balkan had GERB with 32.8 per cent and the Socialists with 28.4 per cent. The leader of the Socialists Party conceded defeat and said the party would not take part in a coalition government with GERB. Official results are expected Monday. 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. The result appeared to be a setback for President Vladimir Putin of Russia, who has sought to exploit divisions in the European Union to strengthen Russia’s influence, particularly in a country like Bulgaria, one of the former Soviet Union’s closest allies.

Borisov, 57, a burly former firefighter and bodyguard of the country’s former Communist leader, has been a leading figure in Bulgarian politics for more than a decade. Although many Bulgarians are unhappy about the country’s endemic corruption, they nonetheless saw Borisov and the GERB as preferable for leading the country. “Bulgarians chose to play it safe and bring GERB back to power, betting on their future in the European Union,” said Genoveva Petrova, the executive director of Alpha Research, a Sofia-based pollster. “The Socialists failed to convince people that they could be an agent of change.” The election was held at a particularly challenging time for Bulgaria, a nation of 7.2 million that has been a EU member for 10 years and a NATO member for 13 years but still maintains close cultural ties with Russia in a balancing act of East and West.

Europe’s fractures over the migrant crisis and the impending departure of Britain from the European Union have complicated Bulgaria’s balancing act. The election of President Donald Trump, who has criticized the EU and NATO and expressed admiration of Putin — further emboldening the Russian leader — have made the challenge tougher. 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 exit polls showed placing third. Borisov, 57, resigned as prime minister after his party lost the November presidential election. Parliament was dissolved in January, and the president appointed a caretaker government that will stay until a new government is formed. Borisov said GERB had the “duty to form a government because this is the will of the people and because we triggered these early elections.” He declined to say what parties may be in a future coalition, pending final results. Support for the nationalist alliance reflected widespread anger over an influx of migrants to this southeastern European country, which borders Greece, Turkey and Romania, and over Turkey’s open support for a party representing Bulgaria’s sizeable Muslim minority. Along with immigration, the election campaign focused on the future of the European Union, which Bulgaria joined in 2007, and the influence of Russia and Turkey on domestic politics. The Socialist Party, led by Kornelia Ninova, who campaigned on forging closer relations with Russia, is made up mostly of ex-communists. It wanted EU sanctions against Russia lifted and tried to woo voters with promises of higher salaries and pensions. If “GERB fails to form a government, we will try to do so,” Ninova said. The Socialists also opposed the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a free-trade agreement between Canada and the EU. Ninova went as far as calling Bulgarian members of the European Parliament who voted to approve that agreement “traitors.” “The party’s pro-Russian message intensified as the campaign progressed which scared away some undecided voters,” Petrova said. 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. Bulgaria is the EU’s poorest member. It is now pledging to fight corruption and to raise minimum wages, and supports EU sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. A populist party named Volya (Will) may end up entering Parliament. Exit polls showed it winning about 5 per cent of the vote, exceeding the 4-per-cent minimum threshold. The party is led by Veselin Mareshki, a wealthy businessman whose anti-establishment message combines patriotic rhetoric with promises of strict immigration controls and friendlier relations with Moscow. The Central Election Commission pegged voter turnout for the election at nearly 43 per cent at 5 p.m., a larger showing than in previous elections. The election sparked protests at the Turkish border by Bulgarian nationalists who were determined to keep Bulgarian citizens living permanently in Turkey from coming in to vote. The protesters claimed Turkish officials were forcing expatriate voters to support DOST, a pro-Ankara party running for the first time. Some 10 per cent of Bulgarians are of Turkish origin or Muslim. More than 300,000 Bulgarians have settled permanently in Turkey, but still hold Bulgarian passports and are eligible to vote. The border tensions prompted a spat between the two nations’ leaders. While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized what he described as “pressure” on ethnic Turks in Bulgaria, Radev retorted that his country would not accept democracy lessons from Turkey. “We will not allow any interference of foreign powers in Bulgaria’s internal affairs,” Borisov said Sunday. With files from the New York Times </s> Former Bulgarian prime minister and leader of centre-right GERB party Boiko Borisov arrives for a news conference at the party's headquarters in Sofia, Bulgaria March 26, 2017. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgaria's center-right GERB party narrowly won a parliamentary election on Sunday, giving it a chance to form another government after leader Boiko Borisov resigned as prime minister in November, triggering the snap poll.

The GERB party won 33 percent of the vote, the Balkan country's third in just 4 years, with the leftist Socialists trailing on 27.2 percent, partial official results with 26 percent of the ballots counted showed.

"The result of the vote shows that GERB is obliged to form a government," said Borisov.

The election had been seen as a test of Bulgaria's loyalties to the European Union, which it joined in 2007, and to Russia, with which it has historic political and cultural links.

The Socialists, who had pledged to improve ties with Russia even if it meant upsetting EU partners, doubled their share of the vote compared to the last election in 2014 but failed to overtake the strongly pro-EU GERB.

If Borisov, 57, succeeds in forming a new coalition, it is likely to maintain the tight fiscal policies that underpin the lev currency's peg to the euro.

GERB is expected to court the United Patriots nationalist alliance, which came third with 9.6 percent of the vote, followed by ethnic Turkish party MRF with 7 percent, according to partial official results. The Populist Will party will also enter the next parliament.

Political analysts are skeptical the results can lead to a government able to uproot widespread corruption in the EU's poorest member state.

"I am not optimistic that these results will lead to the formation of a stable majority that can pursue strong policies," said Ognyan Minchev, a political analyst with the Sofia-based Institute for Regional and International Studies.

"It is likely to be fragile and unstable," he said.

The United Patriots has built its popularity on anger about the flow of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia trying to reach Western Europe via the Balkans.

On Friday, supporters of the alliance blocked Bulgaria's border crossings with Turkey in an effort to stop buses bringing Bulgarian ethnic Turks to vote in Sunday's election.

Ahead of the election, Borisov signaled he hoped to include the Reformist Bloc in a GERB-led coalition government, but exit polls suggested the right-wing group had failed to secure enough votes to make it into parliament. That will likely complicate coalition talks.

Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova, 48, conceded defeat in the election but said she would look at options for forming a government in case GERB cannot do so.

The Socialists had pledged during campaigning to raise wages and pensions as well as oppose continuing EU sanctions against former Soviet-era overlord Russia.

That would complicate relations with Bulgaria's EU peers -- already grappling with Britain's move to leave and the rise of anti-establishment parties across the bloc -- as it gets ready to take over the EU's six-month rotating presidency in January.

Borisov resigned after a GERB candidate lost a presidential election in November to Rumen Radev, a Russia-friendly ally of the Socialists, and Bulgaria is currently being run by a caretaker administration. </s> Bulgarian ex-Premier Boiko Borisov, leader of the center-right GERB party, speaks to media after voting, in Sofia, Bulgaria, Sunday, March 26, 2017. Bulgarians are heading to the polls for the third time in four years in a snap vote that could tilt the European Union's poorest member country closer to Russia as surveys put the center-right GERB party neck-and-neck with the Socialist Party.

Start the conversation, or Read more at News Times. </s> SOFIA, March 26 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's centre-right GERB party won a parliamentary election on Sunday, exit polls showed, giving it a chance to form another government after a GERB administration resigned in November, triggering the snap poll.

Exit polls conducted by Alpha Research and Gallup International Balkan (GIB) showed GERB had won between 32.2 percent and 32.8 percent of the vote, with the Socialist Party BSP trailing on 28.0 percent to 28.4 percent.

The Socialists had said they would improve ties with Russia if they won the election, even if that meant upsetting the country's European Union partners.

A government led by GERB prime minister Boiko Borisov resigned in November after the party's candidate lost a presidential election to pro-Russian, Socialist-backed candidate Rumen Radev. Bulgaria is currently in the hands of a caretaker administration.

Borisov said during the election campaign that he could hold talks to form a coalition government with the United Patriots nationalist alliance and the small Reformist Bloc grouping, if it crosses the parliamentary threshold of 4 percent.

The exit polls put the United Patriots in third place with 8.8-9.5 percent of the vote, followed by the MRF ethnic Turk party on 7.8-9.7 percent.

If the Reformist Bloc does not make it into parliament, Borisov will need to find other supporters, suggesting complicated coalition talks in the coming days. (Editing by Radu Marinas; Editing by Catherine Evans) </s> Bulgarian Socialists' Party leader Kornelia Ninova smiles as she casts her vote in Sofia on Sunday, March 26, 2017. Bulgarians are heading to the polls for the third time in four years in a snap vote that could tilt the European Union's poorest member country closer to Russia as surveys put the GERB party neck-and-neck with the Socialist Party. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — The Latest on Bulgaria's election Sunday: (all times local):

The leader of Bulgaria's Socialists has conceded defeat after exit polls showed her party placing second in the parliamentary election held Sunday.

Socialist Party leader Kornelia Ninova congratulated former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's GERB party as the election's winner.

The Socialists, who campaigned on forging closer relations with Russia, ruled out any option of serving in a coalition government with the center-right GERB party.

Ninova says that if "GERB fails to form a government, we will try to do so."

The leader of Bulgaria's center-right GERB party says the party is prepared to form a government after exit polls showed it placing first in a parliamentary election.

Former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said Sunday evening that GERB has the "duty to form a government because this is the will of the people and because we triggered these early elections."

Two exit polls gave the party more than 32 percent of the vote.

Borisov declined to say with which parties he would try to form a coalition government, pending final election results expected Monday.

However, he stressed: "We will not allow any interference of foreign powers in Bulgaria's internal affairs."

Tensions over the right of Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey to vote and allegations that Ankara was interfering in the election prompted pre-voting protests.

A pair of exit polls from Bulgaria's parliamentary election shows the center-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov taking the lead.

The Alpha Research exit poll said GERB won 32.2 percent of the vote and the Socialists came in second with 28 percent.

A separate exit poll by Gallup International Balkan had GERB with 32.8 percent and the Socialists with 28.4 percent.

The Central Election Commission said voter turnout for Sunday's election stood at nearly 43 percent at 5 p.m., a larger showing than in previous elections.

Official results are expected Monday. If they confirm the exit polls, Borisov will be handed a mandate to form his third cabinet.

The GERB party was defeated by Socialist President Rumen Radev in the November 2016 presidential election. Borisov resigned after Radev's victory.

Bulgarians are headed to the polls for the third time in four years in an early vote that could tilt the European Union's poorest member closer to Russia.

Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova, whose party wants EU sanctions lifted against Russia imposed after it annexed Crimea in 2014, says Sunday that she voted "for a change."

She also voted for "security at our borders and inside the country, for justice, and lastly not to give an opportunity to another country, no matter if it comes from East, West or South to interfere in our politics."

Bulgaria, located in southeast Europe, is both a member of the EU and NATO.

Bulgarians are headed to the polls for the third time in four years in an early vote that could tilt the European Union's poorest member closer to Russia.

Some 6.8 million Bulgarians are eligible to vote Sunday in an election widely predicted to bring about a fragile government coalition and a fragmented legislature where nationalist and populist parties could become kingmakers.

The election campaign focused on the future of EU, the influence of Russia and Turkey on domestic politics, as well as problems associated with an increased number of migrants.

Surveys say former Prime Minister Boiko Borisov's center-right GERB party is running neck-and neck with the Socialist Party of ex-communists. Both parties have pledged to improve economic relations with Russia, appealing to voters who feel let down by the EU.

"I voted for a stable, predictable and united Bulgaria, because tomorrow our nation needs to be united," Borisov said after casting his ballot.

The Bulgarian election on Sunday has sparked protests at the Turkish border for the last two days by nationalists who are determined to keep Bulgarian citizens living permanently in Turkey from coming in to vote.

The border blockade reflects rising tensions between the two countries over Turkey's open backing for a group that represents Bulgaria's sizeable Turkish minority. Some 10 percent of the 7.2 million Bulgarians are of Turkish origin or are Muslims. More than 300,000 have settled permanently in neighboring Turkey, but still hold a Bulgarian passport and are eligible to vote.

The blockade by nationalists could affect some 50,000 voters from Turkey. The protesters claim Turkish officials are forcing expatriate voters to support DOST, a pro-Ankara party running for the first time that nationalists fear is a threat to Bulgarian interests. The tense relations have prompted a spat between the two nations' leaders. Boiko Borisov, a 57-year-old political maverick who combined man-in-the-street rhetoric with a strict obedience to the EU when he was prime minister, is a key figure in Bulgaria's election on Sunday. His center-right GERB party was defeated by Socialist President Rumen Radev, a former air force general, in the November 2016 presidential election. Borisov resigned after Radev's victory, and his party's popularity faded because of the slow pace of reforms to eliminate graft and poverty and overhaul the judicial system. It is now pledging to fight corruption and to raise minimum wages and supports EU sanctions on Russia over its role in the Ukraine crisis. Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova wants EU sanctions against Russia lifted, a bigger role for the state in the economy, and has wooed voters with promises of higher salaries and pensions. A populist party Volya (Will) is trying to enter Parliament. It's led by Veselin Mareshki, a wealthy businessman who combines patriotic rhetoric with promises of strict immigration controls and friendlier relations with Moscow.
Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borissov says that GERB, his party, will not ratify the convention due to lack of support from political parties. The treaty was designed by the Council of Europe to combat domestic violence and violence against women but critics say its language is vague, it could encourage youth to identify as transgender or third gender and it could lead to same-sex marriage in Bulgaria.