Sofia mayor Boiko Borissov, whose Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party won the European Parliament elections in Bulgaria on June 7 2009, was evasive on whether he would seek any coalitions after the July elections for domestic Parliament.

Talking to reporters at a post-election news conference, Borissov repeatedly dodged questions whether he planned to stake a claim for the job of Prime Minister, and about which parties he considered as coalition-worthy, instead calling repeatedly on Bulgarians to go to voting stations in four weeks' time.

"I have no sick ambition [to become Prime Minister], I have options, considering that I have commitments to the city [of Sofia]," he said.

"We will try to persuade people that the more stable the next majority [in Parliament], the more stable the government. People's votes will show whether we were successful," Borissov said.

"Our results are better than at the previous MEP elections, once again we are the leading political party, ahead of a party with 100 years of tradition, who never stopped spreading lies during the campaign," he said, referring to the senior partner in the ruling coalition, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which took second place in Bulgaria's European Parliament vote.

"We got a couple hundred thousand more votes, which shows that we are developing and growing. I am convinced that our result is even higher than the one announced," Borissov said. In the run-in to the elections, it emerged that the state-owned firm that will count the votes has political appointees on its board of directors, including an aide to Socialist PM Sergei Stanishev, giving rise to fears that elections results could be rigged

Asked repeatedly about future coalitions after the national parliamentary elections on July 5, Borissov only ruled out any prospect of a coalition with nationalist party Ataka. "I support their anti-corruption initiatives, but they have made some choices that make a coalition impossible".

The focus of GERB's MEPs in European Parliament will be Bulgaria's quick accession to the eurozone, energy projects and the release of the frozen European Union funds, Borissov said.