Bulgaria votes in tense election

Sofia, 12 May 2013 (MIA) - Bulgarians have begun voting in a tight and tense snap general election marred by accusations of fraud and expected to result in political stalemate and fresh protests in the EU's poorest member.

Former bodyguard and ex-premier Boyko Borisov's conservative GERB party is expected to win the most votes, even though the biggest demonstrations in 16 years forced his government to resign only three months ago, AFP news agency reported.

But pre-vote opinion polls give GERB just 29-35 percent of the vote, well short of a majority and nowhere near enough for a repeat of Borisov's previous minority government when his party was just four seats short of a being able to govern alone.

A last-minute opinion polls showed the socialist BSP party snapping at GERB's heels on 25-32 percent, with some surveys putting them neck-and-neck and even suggesting the BSP might pull off a surprise, if slim, victory.

Either way, this will leave either party the tough task of fishing for coalition partners in a severely fragmented parliament that might include up to five other parties.

"At least a three-party coalition will be needed to form a government," analyst Yuliy Pavlov from the Centre for Analysis and Marketing said.

The ultra-nationalist Ataka, which voted with Borisov's minority government but which has now turned against him, seems set to enter parliament again, with polls giving it between six and nine percent.

The only other party certain to clear the four-percent threshold to enter parliament is the Socialists' former coalition partner, the liberal Turkish minority MRF party, credited with between eight and 15 percent of the popular vote.

A potential kingmaker could be the new centrist formation DBG of ex-European commissioner Meglena Kuneva, polling at 3.0 to 6.5 percent, although it is unclear whom -- if anyone -- Kuneva might support.

The campaign has focused more on a wiretapping scandal than on the grinding poverty -- almost a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line -- that so angered Bulgarians over the winter.

Six people have died after setting themselves on fire in rprotest or despair

The failure by politicians to address ordinary Bulgarians' top concern has added to apathy among the country's 6.9 million voters, and to predictions that people will be out on the streets again before too long.

Post-election stalemate is also the last thing needed by the Bulgarian economy, which grew just 0.8 percent last year and where foreign direct investment has slumped.

"We are running the serious risk of seeing massive pessimism and despair turn into active aggression on the streets," political analyst Ognyan Minchev told the Presa daily in a recent interview.

Vote-buying and other election fraud concerns has also marred the campaign, prompting the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to dispatch its biggest monitoring mission to Bulgaria since 1990.

On Saturday prosecutors said they had seized 350,000 illegal ballot papers, prompting the head of the socialists, Sergey Stanishev, to accuse GERB is preparing for the "total falsification of the elections."

Five parties -- but not GERB -- have also commissioned an independent parallel vote count, prompting analysts to fear that Bulgaria might see its vote results challenged for the first time since 1990.

The over 11,700 polling stations opened at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and would close at 8:00 pm (1700 GMT), when pollsters give their first exit poll results.

The electoral commission is due to give first, even if only partial official results on Monday morning.

The expected turnout for the proportional representation vote to pick 240 lawmakers for a four-year mandate in the single-chamber parliament is about 50 percent. ba/11:02

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Deadly blasts hit Turkey border town of Reyhanli

Ankara, 11 May 2013 (MIA) - At least 18 people have been killed and more than 22 wounded in car bomb attacks in a Turkish town close to the Syrian border, the interior minister has said.

The blasts were reported at the town hall and post office in the town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province, the BBC reported.

Thousands of refugees have fled Syria across the Reyhanli border.

Five people were killed last October when a mortar round hit the Turkish border town of Akcakale.

As many as four explosions were reported at around 13:55 local time (10:55 GMT), causing panic in the town, Turkish media said.

Several ambulances were helping the injured and eyewitnesses described the blast damage as extensive - with many shops and homes having their windows blow out, and vehicles destroyed.

Emergency services were looking for other possible victims buried under rubble.

The town hall was among buildings that were badly damaged, reports said.

Local media reported that local people attacked cars with Syrian number-plates and Syrian refugees after the attack.

Interior Minister Muammer Guler promised an investigation.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would protect itself.

"There may be those who want to sabotage Turkey's peace, but we will not allow that," he said during a visit to Berlin.

"No-one should attempt to test Turkey's power. Our security forces will take all necessary measures."

He added that the blasts had taken place to deflect attention from efforts to solve the Syrian crisis.

The border area of Reyhanli has itself been attacked in recent months. In February, 13 people were killed and more than 20 others wounded when a mortar round landed close to a border gate.

The Turkish government has been a key supporter of the Syrian opposition, and has allowed rebels as well as refugees onto its territory.

But tensions in the Reyhanli area have been high for several weeks, reports say, with clashes between Turkish and Syrian youths.