New York Times: Bulgaria's Ex-Premier Nears Return to Power in a Key Election for Europe

The former prime minister of Bulgaria verged on retaking power Sunday as his center-right party held a narrow lead in a contested election, a sign that Bulgarians still see their future lying with the EU, according to New York Times.

While official results were not expected until Monday, it appeared that the former leader, Boyko Borisov, would form a new government in Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member, probably in a coalition with an alliance of smaller right-wing nationalist parties.

The Socialists, who had advocated stronger ties with Russia and had vowed to block a renewal of European Union sanctions against the Kremlin, could not convince enough voters that they were the better alternative and conceded defeat.

The result appeared to be a disappointment for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who has sought to exploit divisions in the European Union to strengthen Russia's influence — particularly in a country like Bulgaria, which was one of the Soviet Union's closest allies.

''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."

He pledged to quickly start talks to create a coalition government, but did not elaborate about the potential partners before the official election results.