[4] High electricity prices and poverty ignited mass protests in February 2013, eventually leading to the resignation of the GERB government and early elections.

The government resigned the day after clashes between the police and protesters led to bloodshed and a number of civilians being badly injured.

[7] Parties had to receive at least 4% of the national vote to win any of the proportional seats, which were distributed using the largest remainder method.

[9] As a result of the protests over electricity prices, the distribution license for Czech utility company ČEZ was revoked.

"[6] Former European Commissioner Meglena Kuneva broke from the National Movement for Stability and Progress, formed around Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

[10] Several of the parties were newly formed by citizens, resulting from the public discontent from the 2013 Bulgarian protests and the months leading up to them.

BSP leader Sergey Stanishev said that this was preparation for fraud with 10 percent of the electoral turnout being falsified for about 25 constituencies.

The OSCE's monitoring delegation member Eoghan Murphy said of the fraudulent ballot papers: "It's not for us to investigate these matters.

Most of the major parties held press conferences immediately after the revelation, after which the Prosecutor's office made a formal announcement on the matter.

After voting finished, about 50 protesters congregated outside the election centre at the Palace of Culture in Sofia demanding GERB not be given a chance to form a new government.

GERB set a precedent by not holding the traditional post-election press conference for elected parties, and they stayed out of the media for four days until the finalized results came out on Thursday.