Citizen for European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB), the party informally led by the “populist mayor of Sofia ” Boiko Borissov won narrow victory in the first elections for members of the European Parliament (MEP) in Bulgaria on May 20 2007.

Borissov’s victory was double, because he managed to score a blow to the ruling coalition, Financial Times (FT) said.

CEDB was officially founded in 2006, but won 21.7 per cent of the vote. The socialists received 21.4 per cent of the exceptionally low voter turnout of 28.6 per cent.

The election results confirmed Borissov’s image of “ Bulgaria's most popular politician,” FT said.

The election loss caught Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev amid fight to keep his party while dealing with a corruption controversy.

According to Stanishev voters punished his party.

FY quoted sociologist Kancho Stoychov as saying that the “populist wave that swept central Europe after EU accession has reached Bulgaria, too. Discontent focuses on the social division between rich and poor that's emerged as a result of transition.”