'Second round' for Bulgaria poll

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria's President Petar Stoyanov has failed to win Bulgaria's presidential election outright and voting will go to a second round, exit polls said.

Stoyanov will face Socialist Party leader Georgi Parvanov in a runoff on November 18 after failing to win in Sunday's first round, the exit polls monitored by Reuters revealed.

Several exit polls released on radio and television showed Stoyanov far ahead, with 38-39 percent of the votes cast.

Ex-communist Parvanov, with 29-33 percent came ahead of his main rival, former Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev with 18 to 20 percent.

But according to the law, a runoff must be held if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, or if turnout is below 50 percent.

Neither condition was apparently met.

Bulgarians had gone to the polls with gas masks and protective gloves distributed to poll workers in case of an anthrax threat.

But it was voter apathy rather than anthrax mail which looked the biggest threat to incumbent reformist President Petar Stoyanov's ambitions of a first-round victory.

The pro-NATO, pro-EU leader was clear favourite of six candidates but was always struggling to get the outright win to give him a clear mandate for a second five-year term.

The final opinion polls gave the 48-year-old president between 43 and 54 percent of the vote. Bonev was on 17 to 27.5 percent and ex-communist Parvanov on 19 to 24 percent.

But from the moment the polls opened it was clear turnout was low.

Ex-lawyer Stoyanov is backed by Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg, the ex-king who became prime minister after a historic victory in parliamentary elections in June.

Public face abroad

Voting began at 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT). Stoyanov, casting his ballot in the capital Sofia on a grey, dull morning, said he hoped people would turn up later in the day.

"I am hoping that about lunch time, after that, the electoral activity will go up. I sincerely hope that by the end of the day, turnout will be similar to previous polls," he said.

In June, people flocked to back a new movement led by former King Simeon, believing his promises to radically improve living standards within 800 days and root out corruption.

But five months later, hopes have faded.

The president has limited powers in the parliamentary republic but is its public face abroad, and will be pivotal in helping Bulgaria meet its targets of winning an invitation next year to join NATO and joining the EU by 2006.