November 14 (BTA) - Following are the contestants' reactions after the exit polls were announced for the Sunday elections for Parliament and President:

Rumen Radev (independent, backed by BSP for Bulgaria, Continue the Change, Rise Up BG! Here We Come): "The elections showed the determination of society to break with lawlessness and authoritarian rule. At the run-off, we will clash with the party-organized vote of the status quo cartel. We will rely on all political forces and on the votes of all Bulgarian citizens who want to have a modern country. The parties in the new parliament must mandatorily form a reformist, anti-corruption and social cabinet, it must be formed transparently and must be backed by a clear majority which leaves no doubt about shady dependencies."

Anastas Gerdjikov (independent, backed by GERB-UDF): "We achieved our main goal: having a second round. I hope that we will hold a debate with [incumbent President Rumen] Radev before the run-off. We count on support from all Bulgarian citizens rather than from any parties. I have nothing to do with any model, I am a majoritarian candidate. The parties of change have similar results and forming a cabinet will not get easier. We are calling on all political leaders to make efforts and put a cabinet together."

Continue the Change leader Kiril Petkov: "We will be the number one political force. A 121 majority [in the 240-seat parliament] has been achieved. Bulgaria will be governed by a regular coalition cabinet. The target that we must all pursue is that the next government should serve out its full term. We call on Bulgarians abroad to vote: everybody waiting at the polling site, wait for your turn. Now is the time to show that Bulgaria has embarked on the road of change and there is no turning back." It transpired from Petkov's statement that he will be his coalition's candidate for prime minister, whereas Assen Vassilev is the best option for a finance minister.

GERB leader Boyko Borissov: "I would like to thank all GERB supporters for backing us despite the all-out harassment. The lowest voter turn-out ever shows that this [caretaker] failed to cope with organizing the elections. Just as before, all surveys gave up an 8 per cent lead, and now it has vanished. Anyway, we are the number one force. A possibly stable parliamentary majority must be formed, starting from Monday. Nobody has been talking about policies all that time. Nobody is talking about what will happen to the hospitals, to the vaccination rollout, to natural gas and electricity prices. While Rise Up BG! Here We Come! have dropped out of parliament, There Is Such a People fell to under 10 per cent, Democratic Bulgaria slumped to 10 per cent, while GERB's performance is the same."

BSP leader Kornelia Ninova: "While the talks on forming a cabinet are underway, we must maximize our efforts and sound reason to shape a parliamentary majority that will adopt the 2022 budget even before a government is in place. Vazrazhdane's crossing the electoral threshold makes Parliament even more fragmented and requires from us to be even wiser and more sensible when making the next decisions. It would be wrong to draw red lines in a particularly complicated situation and when we politicians are especially responsible for putting together a regular cabinet. The Left have a very clear programme and clear priorities on which we insist: coping with the energy crisis and cutting energy prices, a social policy to raise incomes, a health policy to lower the number of COVID infections and fatalities, a policy concerning education, children, young families and the construction of the Belene N-Plant." Ninova said that BSP will back Radev in the presidential run-off.

Movement for Right and Freedoms (MRF) leader Mustafa Karadayi: "The MRF can talk equally with all parties represented in Parliament, but they set a condition: restoration of democracy and statehood. The same condition was set back within the [previous] 46th National Assembly, and even in the 45th National Assembly the MRF declared their readiness to support a cabinet of change without being a part of it. In all three parliamentary elections held this year, the MRF kept their relative weight and voter support."

There Is Such a People leader Slavi Trifonov: "To those who voted for us: your trust is invaluable. If I could turn back time, I would have done the same as I did."

Democratic Bulgaria leader Hristo Ivanov: "Bulgaria expects a government that can push the country forward and tackle the serious crises: the pandemic, the energy prices and inflation. It is technically possible for Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change to form a single parliamentary group in the new National Assembly. Whether this will make sense depends on the final results. If this group is the largest in Parliament, it may be mandated to form a cabinet. This is being discussed as technically feasible. Democratic Bulgaria's performance in the elections was dissatisfying. The reasons include the changed political situation with the emergence of a new player and the combination with the presidential elections. Democratic Bulgaria will stand up for the agenda for which its supporters voted: a judicial reform, a reform of the regulators and the special services, in the energy sector, and implementing e-government to modernize the administration."

Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov: "Vazrazhdane will back a government that will scrap the COVID certificate and lets children go back to school. I expected a more solid result than what we achieved. We won on a consistent policy which we plan to keep unchanged. We will move immediately a lifting of all restrictions, abolishing the green certificate and ending the harassment of children at school. Steps to normalize life in Bulgaria should start as early as this week. We can't wait for the end of yet another flu wave masked as a pandemic. A year and a half or two from now, Vazrazhdane will be the leading political force." Asked which of the two candidates his party will back in the presidential run-off next Sunday, he said: "You don't offer support that is unasked for."

Rise Up BG! Here We Come! Co-chair Maya Manolova: "We will continue to campaign for the change regardless of whether we are inside or outside Parliament. I believe that people's expectations and hopes to see a cabinet of change that will start the reforms. We will support Rumen Radev in the second round of voting next Sunday. LN/LG