(4 Jul 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Close of Bulgarian flag
2. Wide of street lined with flags and an exhibition on Bulgarian politics
3. Mid of man walking past exhibits
4. Close of photograph of man
5. Various of rubbish on street following campaigning on Friday
6. Various of women sweeping
7. Wide of trams
8. Various of man handing out newspapers
9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Boris (no last name given), student, vox pop:
"I think now the situation is pretty complicated, it depends a lot on who is going to win, because there are several political parties that have almost the same results, and it's going to be very difficult to make a stable cabinet, so I think maybe these elections are going to be one of the most important ones in the modern history of Bulgaria."
10. Mid of man reading paper
11. Close of backgammon game
12. SOUNDBITE: (Bulgarian) Iuri Anghelov, vox pop:
"Bulgaria will look neither bad nor good (after the elections) because no party will be able to form a stable government."
13. Wide of Anghelov playing backgammon
14. Cupola of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, AUDIO: bells
15. Various interior shots of service
16. Mid of congregation
17. Tilt down exterior of cathedral
STORYLINE
A day before heading to the polls to vote for a new parliament, Bulgarians reflected on Saturday on how the elections would affect their country.
Bulgaria's centre-right opposition is poised to defeat the ruling socialists in this weekend's parliamentary elections.
Opinion polls suggest three out of four Bulgarians want Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev's corruption-tainted Socialists out, more than two years after it won EU membership for the country.
In last minute campaigning to save his floundering party, Stanishev promised this week to shepherd the country out of the economic crisis, but it may be too little too late to change voters' minds.
His main opponent, Sofia Mayor Boiko Borisov, who leads the centre-right GERB party, is expected to win Sunday's vote easily but may not be able to gain enough seats in parliament to govern without forming a coalition.
In Sofia on Saturday morning, some Bulgarians said it would be difficult for any party to form a new cabinet.
Nevertheless, Boris, a student in the Bulgarian capital, said he thought the elections would be "the most important ones in the modern history of Bulgaria".
Despite securing EU membership, Stanishev's government has been widely blamed for failing to improve the quality of everyday life in the Balkan country of 7.6 (m) million people, the poorest member of the European Union.
Although unemployment stands at a relatively low seven percent, opinion polls say more than a third of Bulgarians fear they might lose their job in the near future.
And while wage increases have pushed the average salary to 300 euros (420 US dollars), it remains the lowest in the 27-member EU.
The main reason for the eroding support, however, has been the government's perceived failure to deal with crime and corruption.
This led Brussels to freeze (m) millions in aid last year over fraud.
Many people see politicians from the Socialist party, as well as from its junior partner, the mainly Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, being part of the problem rather than a credible provider of solutions.
Borisov and his GERB party are tipped to gain 26-30 percent of the votes, while Stanishev's Socialist party is lagging behind with 19-23 percent, according to a poll conducted by Gallup International.
No margin of error was provided, but polls of this type in Bulgaria usually have a margin of error of 3 percent.
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