Bulgarians backed the building of a nuclear power plant in a referendum yesterday, a blow to Prime Minister Boiko Borisov who had abandoned the multi-billion-dollar project, but turnout was not enough to overturn the Government’s decision.

Roughly 60 per cent voted for a 2,000-megawatt plant at Belene on the Danube River, while 40 per cent opposed it, Gallup Inter-national and Alpha Research exit polls showed.

Turnout was about 20 per cent, well below the required 60 per cent to make the vote binding.

The country’s first referendum since the fall of Communism showed that Borisov’s policy has alienated many voters in the European Union’s poorest country and complicated his campaign for a July election, analysts said.

But under the voting rules, if more than 20 per cent of eligible voters took part and more than half of them voted in favour, the issue will be sent to Parliament.

Borisov said that GERB would reject the project again if it went to Parliament.

“The result clearly puts pressure on the Government. The low turnout however indicates there are no clear winners and we will be facing a serious stalemate after the July election,” said Kiril Avramov, political analyst with New Bulgarian University.

Borisov, struggling to revive the economy, cancelled the construction of Belene in March saying the Balkan country could not afford estimated costs of more than €10 billion, and after failing to attract Western investors.

But many hoped it would rein in electricity prices, create jobs and help make Bulgaria an energy hub for southeast Europe.

While the economy has emerged from a deep recession, it is growing only slowly and many voters are frustrated with trailing other former Communist members of the EU.

Analysts said the vote in favour of Belene comes as a blow to Borisov, who has made little progress in rooting out corruption since he came to power in 2009.

Unpopular austerity measures imposed by his party have already narrowed its lead over opposition Socialists, who called for the referendum before parliamentary elections in July.

Bulgaria has an operational 2,000 megawatt nuclear power plant at Kozloduy and has hired US firm Westinghouse to draw up plans to add another 1,000 MW unit at the site.

Belene was also opposed by environmentalists, who said it would be built near an earthquake-prone area, and by rights groups who said the high-cost project would encourage graft.