Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov's decisive victory in Sunday's elections over his far-right-challenger was yesterday portrayed in Sofia as a triumph for pro-European Union forces on the brink of the country's EU accession on January 1.

"The re-election of Georgi Parvanov for a second five-year term is in fact a pro-EU referendum of the Bulgarian citizens," said Sergei Stanishev, the prime minister.