Bulgarian former ruling party GERB, who has won Sunday's snap elections, has issued a statement making clear it will not hold the traditional post-election press conference.

The statement came around midnight Sunday, highlighting an unprecedented situation in which party press conferences were greatly delayed after the end of voting.

A handful of protesters have clashed with police, while others broke into the international press room at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

"GERB will comment only and exclusively official results from the vote announced by the Central Electoral Commission," says the party's statement.

The former ruling parties called on rival parties to use "patience" and refrain from "manipulating results" in view of political and social piece in the country.

GERB further thanked all Bulgarians who voted Sunday and recalled that the people are the ones to determine who are going to rule in a democracy.

The former ruling party however actually comments on the results by claiming: "For the first time in the most recent Bulgarian history, a ruling party has won again the trust of voters."

Earlier Sunday evening, GERB vice-chair and campaign manager Tsvetan Tsvetanov was seen exiting the National Palace of Culture without answering journalists' questions as to why.

GERB leader and former Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov was not seen coming to the international press center.

According to exit polls and parallel counts, GERB, which gave up power in February after strong street protests, appears to have won the vote with some 31%.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party follows, with some 4 pp behind, with the liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms and nationalists Ataka certain to enter parliament.

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