Socialist, Gerb Runners in Bulgarian Presidential Race Tied

(Bloomberg) -- General Rumen Radev, the candidate of the opposition Socialists, is forecast to receive most of the votes in Bulgaria's presidential race that may trigger snap parliamentary election after a Nov. 13 runoff.

Radev, 53, former chief of the Air Force, will win 24.6 percent of the votes, according to an Alpha Research exit poll released on national television in Sofia at 11 p.m. on Sunday. That sets up the runoff with the ruling Gerb party's Tsetska Tsacheva, who trailed with 21.5 percent, according to the poll. Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who took office for a second term after winning 2014 snap elections, plans to step down if Tsacheva, 58, loses.

“If we lose the runoff, we are heading for early elections,” Borissov told reporters in Sofia early on Monday. “With such a narrow difference I think we have real chances to win in a week.”

NATO, Russia

The Black Sea nation, the poorest in the European Union by per-capita output, is working to boost growth, raise living standards closer to the bloc's average and lock itself deeper into the union. A NATO member since 2004, Bulgaria is also seeking to balance its policy toward Russia, the source of most of its energy supplies, with the alliance's concerns over an increasing risk of confrontation with President Vladimir Putin.

Both Radev and Tsacheva advocate easing EU and U.S. sanctions imposed against Russia over its seizure of Crimea and support of rebels in eastern Ukraine. They have campaigned to revise the penalties to appeal to those Bulgarians who value their country's religious and historical links with Russia, once Bulgaria's Cold War-era ally. While the president's powers are largely ceremonial, the incumbents have played a role in shaping public opinion.

Migrants, Border

Radev pledged to strengthen Bulgaria's borders with Turkey and Greece to curb the flow of migrants fleeing violence in the Middle East to Europe.

“I won't allow Bulgaria to be turned into Europe's refugee camp,” Radev said at a news conference in Sofia on Sunday.

Winning the presidency requires a 50 percent majority vote. Estimated turnout was 54.5 percent at 10 p.m., according to Gallup.

“If Borissov decides to extend the cabinet's life, he'll have to seek support from even more parties in the parliament,” Daniel Smilov, a political analyst at the Center for Liberal Strategies in Sofia, said on national TV. “I don't see a long horizon for this kind of government. What I see is the option of early elections.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Slav Okov in Sofia at sokov@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: James M. Gomez at jagomez@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Konstantinova, Bruce Rule