Bulgaria is holding a parliamentary election, with opinion polls predicting defeat for Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg's ruling coalition.
But the likely victors, the Socialist-led Coalition for Bulgaria, are not expected to gain an overall majority in parliament.
Who won the last election?
In June 2001 the Simeon II National Movement, led by former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, handed the ruling right-wing Union of Democratic Forces a heavy defeat.
The SND had been set up just a few weeks before the election to provide Mr Saxe-Coburg with a platform.
Mr Saxe-Coburg did not stand as a candidate, but later became prime minister, heading a government coalition between his party and the smaller Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
Who are the frontrunners this time round?
The Simeon II National Movement (SND) is the senior partner in the ruling coalition.
The party leadership has strongly promoted Bulgaria's efforts to join Nato and the EU, and has also sent Bulgarian troops to join coalition forces in Iraq.
The prime minister said recently that the SND would not join or support any Socialist-led government.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), successor to the Communist Party, is contesting the election as the prime mover in the Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB), which includes seven other smaller parties.
The BSP won general elections in 1990 and 1994 but lost power on both occasions after major economic crises.
Under its leader Sergei Stanishev, the party has become more enthusiastic about joining Nato and is keen on entry into the EU.
But after initially supporting participation in the US-led coalition in Iraq, it now promises to pull Bulgarian troops out if it is voted into office.
The Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) was founded in 1990 as an alliance of newly formed right-wing parties.
The party held power twice in the 1990s, but started to lose influence towards the end of the decade.
After its defeat in 2001, several senior figures left to form their own right-wing parties.
The SDS is contesting the elections as leader of the United Democratic Forces coalition (ODS), which includes five other smaller parties.
What is the likely result?
Opinion polls in the weeks leading up to polling day have consistently shown the Coalition for Bulgaria well ahead of the Simeon II National Movement, with the United Democratic Forces in third place.
A poll conducted by the National Public Opinion Centre in mid-June showed support for the CfB at 36.0%, the SND at 20.6% and the ODS at 9.9%. The poll also suggested four other parties or coalitions would gain enough votes to enter parliament.
Which other parties stand out?
A total of 22 parties and groups are standing in the election.
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) represents Bulgaria's 800,000 Muslims, mainly ethnic Turks.
Led by long-serving chairman Akhmed Dogan, the DPS has played a balancing role in parliament throughout the last 15 years, forming alliances with both the SDS and the BSP and also helping to push them out of power.
New Time was formed by a group of MPs who broke away from the SND, but subsequently joined the coalition as a junior partner.
Its leaders have proclaimed themselves the voice of "modern liberals".
Also contesting the election are several parties representing the country's Roma community. The most prominent of these is EuroRoma, led by the flamboyant pop star Azis.
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