site.btaGERB to Win 36.5-37.5% of Votes,Socialists 19-20%, MRF 14.5-15.5%,Polling Agency Forecasts

GERB to Win 36.5-37.5% of Votes,
Socialists 19-20%, MRF 14.5-15.5%,
Polling Agency Forecasts


Sofia, October 3 (BTA) - According to results forecast by Exacta
Research Group polling agency, GERB stands to receive between
36.5 and 37.5 per cent of the votes in the forthcoming October 5
parliamentary elections, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)
between 19 and 20 per cent, and the Movement for Rights and
Freedoms (MRF) between 14.5 and 15.5 per cent. The Reformist
Bloc (RB) will get 6.5 to 7.5 per cent, Bulgaria without
Censorship (BwC) 6.5 to 7.5 per cent, the Patriotic Front (PF)
4-5 per cent, ABV 3.5 to 4.5 per cent, and Ataka 2.8 to 3.8 per
cent.

Exacta's forecast for the seats each party or coalition will win
is 99-102 for GERB, 51-53 for BSP, 40-42 for MRF, 18-19 for RB,
18-19 for BwC, and 12-13 for PF.

The agency found a slight increase of the readiness to vote in
the forthcoming elections towards the campaign's end. The number
of definitely stated intentions to vote point to a turnout
close to that in the parliamentary elections in May 2013. The
events of the last days of the campaign may have an impact on
turnout, but expectations at this point are that there will be
between 3,300,000 and 3,500,000 voters, Exacta experts
commented.

It is important to specify that activity in the course of the
campaign increased mainly because of voters' interest in small
parties. Quite a few Bulgarians tend to look at them with the
hope that they will be a corrective balance in future governance
configurations, the agency said.

The parties which have increased their results in the final
phases of the campaign include the MRF, BwC, PF, ABV and Ataka.
The MRF is the formation which has managed to mobilise its
voters to the highest degree.

Since the beginning of the campaign RB has garnered results
which will secure seats in Parliament. BwC has also increased
its chances, the social scientists say.

From the very start of the campaign ABV has received support
which gives them a chance to fight for parliamentary seats.
Ataka increased its share of voters only at the very end of the
campaign.

Voice of the People and Movement 21 are the parties revolving
around 1 per cent of the votes.

Voter support for smaller parties is increasing, on one hand,
but is not sufficiently mobilized on another. This makes it
difficult to forecast definitively whether six or seven
formations will enter the next Parliament, Exacta said./VI/BR