Bulgaria: Bulgaria is facing political uncertainty after the Socialists failed to win an overall election majority, casting doubt on their ability to form a stable government as the Balkan nation bids to join the EU in 2007.
The Socialists may even be forced to strike a deal with the defeated prime minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, the former king whose party did not fare as badly as expected, taking almost 20 per cent of the vote compared to 31 per cent for his left-wing rivals.
A descent into political squabbling would damage Bulgaria's EU ambitions after it was warned, along with Romania, to speed up reforms or risk having accession postponed for a year.
An increasingly expansion-weary EU will also note with concern the strong showing of a radical nationalist party, Attack, which took more than 8 per cent of votes with a vitriolic campaign against Bulgaria's large Roma and ethnic Turkish minorities.
As rumours swirled about the possible make-up of a ruling coalition, Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev (39) staked the first claim to the top job.
"We stand here as the winners of the most votes. I have long said that I am a candidate for prime minister and I am ready to take on that responsibility," he said.
Mr Stanishev, the half-Russian chief of what was the communist party, has pledged to raise salaries by 20 per cent next year, create 240,000 jobs by 2009 and forge "a European standard of living" for Bulgaria's eight million people. His manifesto also promised special help for the country's poorest communities, many of which are Roma.
The Socialists already have the backing of the third-placed Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF), but are still a handful of seats short of a parliamentary majority.
Having ruled out any deal with the far-right Attack, Mr Stanishev could seek an alliance with two smaller right-wing parties, but it could prove volatile. That leaves him with the option of an unlikely partnership with Mr Saxe-Coburg.
The one-time boy king, who was exiled by the communists at the age of eight and spent most of his life in Spain, has suggested both a willingness to negotiate with the Socialists and a reluctance to accept any role other than premier.
"If they have any common sense, they should find a way of forming an expert government rather than risk early elections," said Miroslava Yanova, the head of the MBMD polling institute in Sofia.
Andrey Ravchev, an analyst for the Gallup polling group, agreed that the former communists should join forces with the ex-king: "The only stable coalition possible is between the reds and the yellows," he said, referring to the main parties' campaign colours.
President Georgi Parvanov is expected to invite Mr Stanishev to form a government this week and he will do so under intense scrutiny from some EU members, who, many Bulgarians feel, will pounce on any pretext to postpone their accession.
"A [parliamentary] crisis is possible," admitted the deputy leader of the Socialists, Rumen Ovcharov. "But I hope the political powers who enter parliament will find the strength to put national interests above everything else."
Turnout was estimated at about 55 per cent, a disappointing figure reflecting widespread disaffection with the political elite, from the stuffy Mr Saxe-Coburg to the Socialists whose last stint in office ended with financial meltdown in 1997.
"The election will make no difference, this whole generation of politicians is only interested in looking after itself," said Valentin (22), who studies and runs a small business in Sofia.
The cafes of the city were full on a sunny Saturday, and few young people seemed in a hurry to vote.
"No one in this election can sort out all the corruption and crime in Bulgaria. Whoever wins will carry on pretending that we are ready to join the EU. It is a bad joke," said Petar, an economy student sipping a beer on the main Vitosha Boulevard.
Analysts said Attack had tapped into Bulgarians' fears over a number of issues: chronic poverty and crime, huge disparity of wealth, a rapidly growing Roma community, and uncertainty surrounding the country's future in the EU.