Bulgarian ousted premier Boyko Borisov's party came first in tense elections Sunday but fell short of a majority, exit polls showed, setting the scene for political stalemate and fresh protests. Three months after the biggest demonstrations in years prompted the former bodyguard to tender his government's resignation, Borisov's GERB party won between 30.3 and 33 percent of the vote, the exit polls showed.

Bulgarians voted Sunday in a close snap general election marred by accusations of vote-rigging and expected to result in a political stalemate and fresh protests in the EU's poorest member. Despite its ouster by mass protests just three months ago, the conservative party of former bodyguard ex-premier Boyko Borisov, promising stability and infrastructure development, was tipped to win the most votes.

Bulgaria's main parties are headed for a close race in Sunday's elections, final polls suggested Friday as analysts predicted a hung parliament and fresh protests in the EU's poorest country. According to eight new opinion surveys, former bodyguard ex-premier Boyko Borisov's GERB party is forecast to be the top vote-getter, only three months after resigning amid Bulgaria's biggest unrest in years.

A winter of discontent in Bulgaria, when mass protests forced out the government, could give way to a spring of political deadlock and instability after elections Sunday in the EU's poorest country. The outcome is expected to be a fragmented parliament full of many of the same politicians who have run Bulgaria since the end of communism two decades ago. Voters are stuck in a blind alley, facing a "choice between the same parties they protested against this winter", Ivan Krastev from the Centre for Liberal Strategies think-tank said.