(Bloomberg) -- Bulgaria’s ruling party is headed for its first-ever runoff in elections for the country’s capital city, signaling a weakening position for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova won 35% of votes in Sunday’s ballot, with Maya Manolova, an independent candidate backed by the opposition Socialists, getting 26%, according to an exit poll by Alpha Research published by the BNT TV channel.
A defeat in the runoff for Borissov’s Gerb candidate risks putting the three-term leader in the same group as Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who’ve also lost control of their nations’ major cities while maintaining power nationally.
A real-estate corruption scandal has hurt Gerb’s popularity, while Manolova has vowed to end privileges for municipal officials. Turnout was about 41%, according to Alpha Research.
Final election results are expected Monday at the earliest. A second round of voting is scheduled for Nov. 3.
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