Bulgaria's Socialists yesterday braced for negotiations with rival parties to try to forge a coalition government and lead the Balkan state into the European Union in 2007.
The Black Sea country of eight million was facing weeks of haggling and uncertainty at a time when it must push on with EU-related reforms or risk having its entry delayed by a year.
"We begin negotiations on forming a government on Tuesday," said deputy Socialist party leader Rumen Ovcharov. "The most possible scenario is a grand coalition."
With 99.6 per cent of the Saturday vote counted, official results showed the Socialists won 31 per cent - much lower than pre-election forecasts of 40 per cent - versus 19.88 for ex-king Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg's ruling NMS centrists.
The mostly ethnic-Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), third-placed with 12.68 per cent of the vote, rushed to back the leftists. But pollsters said around six more seats were needed for a majority in the 240-seat parliament.
"A grand coalition including the Socialists and the NMS would be good for the EU accession agenda," said Ognian Shentov, director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy.
"But the problem is who gets to lead the government." Led by Sergei Stanishev, 39, the ex-communists quickly opened the door to all players except the nationalist Attack party, whose meteoric rise from obscurity to win 8.18 per cent of the vote was blamed for eroding Socialist support.
Most small right-wing parties have already turned down the offer, leaving the Socialists the option of either poaching deputies or entering talks with Mr Saxe-Coburg.
"A three-party government is the only logical, stable outcome," said an EU diplomat who requested anonymity.
"The main players are aware there is no room for delay and will not allow the country to enter a crisis."
President Georgi Parvanov was expected to give the Socialists, whose last term in office ended in a 1997 economic meltdown, a first go at forming a government this week.
Party sources said they were open to different ways of cooperating with the ex-king's party but without him leading the coalition government facing urgent EU-mandate reforms.
Scrutiny from Brussels has increased amid growing scepticism over enlargement following the recent rejection of the 25-state bloc's proposed Constitution by French and Dutch voters.
If Bulgaria fails to push reforms, it could see accession held back to 2008, which would disappoint both investors betting on convergence with the euro zone and reform-weary Bulgarians who have made sacrifices to join the wealthy bloc.
Mr Saxe-Coburg won elections in 2001 with 43 per cent of the vote, but support collapsed after he failed on a pledge to make Bulgarians - among Europe's poorest people, with average wages of €150 a month - rich in 800 days.
His party said it still hoped to get a mandate to lead the government. The former boy-king had made clear before the vote he would not join any grouping he does not lead and sources in his party said yesterday he stood his ground.
But analysts said his party may choose to find another role for the former monarch, such as the presidency, in order to join a grand coalition. Or it may splinter off or rename itself in order to cooperate with the leftists.