The Bulgarian Socialist Party is expected to have its largest parliamentary group since 1994, according to preliminary results from Bulgaria's Sunday early elections.

With 27.06% of ballots, the Socialists are likely to receive 87 of Bulgaria's 240 MP seats, which is the highest number since they got 125 MPs after the 1994 general elections.

The closest to that number is the 82 seats that BSP got at the 2005 vote, which resulted in the Socialist-led tripartite coalition cabinet chaired by leader Sergey Stanishev.

In Bulgaria's last parliament, the Socialists Party had only 40 MPs.

Former Bulgarian ruling party GERB, which again came out first at the vote with 30.74%, is likely to get 97 MPs, in comparison with their 116 MPs after elections 2009.

Third-ranked liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms's 10.46% can get it 33 MPs against their 37 in the parliament constituted in 2009.

Nationalists Ataka, who are the fourth and last party to enter parliament this time over (7.39%), would get the remaining 23 MP seats, against 21 in 2009.

Elections 2013 were marked by the significant number of votes - 24.35% - that went to parties that scored below the 4% electoral hurdle.

Turnout is currently estimated at 51.33%, says the Central Electoral Commission.

Cabinet formation is expected to be difficult, as the four parties elected to parliament harbor significant hostilities among each other.

On the night of the elections, representatives of the Socialists, the Movement and Ataka all said that under no circumstances are they going to support a new GERB-led cabinet.

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