According to updated forecasts, a neck-and-neck race is emerging in the new parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. Contrary to initial estimates, two polling institutes saw the populist ITN party of the entertainer Slavi Trifonov with 23.4 to 24 percent of the vote and thus a narrow lead over the party of ex-Prime Minister Boiko Borissow. Borisov's bourgeois GERB would come to 22.9 to 23.5 percent according to the information. For the final result, the votes of Bulgarians abroad should be decisive in 68 countries - including Germany and Austria.

According to current forecasts, the socialists (ex-KP) would come to 13.3 to 14.2 percent.

The conservative-liberal-green anti-corruption coalition Democratic Bulgaria DB could also make third place.

Six political forces are likely to move into the parliament in Sofia.

"It may turn out that the vote abroad will be decisive for the election result," said pollster Parvan Simeonov of Gallup International.

Bulgarians are also allowed to vote in 68 countries - from New Zealand to Turkey and EU states such as Germany and Austria to the USA.

According to information from the state radio in Sofia, these results will be announced on Monday.

The parties of the anti-Borisov camp accuse the former head of government of corrupt administration and exclude a coalition with his GERB party. As a result of revelations by the current interim government in Sofia about grievances and corruption practices in important ministries, the GERB performed worse than in the regular parliamentary election on April 4th. GERB won the election three months ago with a good 26 percent. In the European Parliament, the GERB, like the German CDU and CSU, belongs to the European People's Party (EPP).