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The winner of Bulgaria's election
said on Friday he wanted to form a majority government, shifting
tactics after last weekend's vote produced a fractured result
threatening his chances of becoming prime minister again.

Boiko Borisov, who led Bulgaria from 2009 to 2013, had
initially said he was ready to head a minority government after
his centre-right GERB party won about a third of the vote on
Sunday but fell 37 seats short of a majority.

The former bodyguard and karate expert said only a majority
could provide stability in the European Union's poorest country,
whose next government will be its fifth in two years.

The country's economic growth is sluggish, foreign
investment has tumbled and a banking crisis following runs on
two domestic lenders has festered since June.

"If a government is to be formed, the responsibility should
be shared," he told a news conference in Sofia. "Support without
participation in government is not support in my view. It means
next week they can invent a reason and withdraw their support."

Borisov gave no explanation for his change of mind. Analysts
said he appeared to be trying to strengthen his hand in talks
with potential coalition partners by leaving open the option of
offering them cabinet posts.

A broader coalition would also mean he would not need to
depend on support from the ethnic Turkish MRF party, junior
partner in the previous scandal-tinged minority coalition led by
the Socialists.

"It would have been very hard for Bulgarians to accept a
minority government because of doubts that it would be kept in
office with the support of the MRF party," said Daniel Smilov,
an analyst with the Sofia-based Centre for Liberal Strategies.

DIFFICULT WEEKS AHEAD

Bulgaria looks set for a difficult few weeks of coalition
negotiations. The first round of cross-party talks is due to
begin on Monday.

Borisov was toppled in February 2013 by street protests
against high electricity prices and low living standards. He won
a subsequent election but, like this week, fell short of a
majority and a Socialist-led minority government took office.

President Rosen Plevneliev has urged parties to work
together to avoid another election. But even if a government can
be formed, analysts question how long it will last and say new
protests over higher energy prices could erupt this winter.

Borisov's most likely ally, a group of right-wing parties
known as the Reformist Bloc, on Thursday laid down conditions
for joining a GERB government, including demands for judicial
and education reform.

Another potential partner are nationalists known as the
Patriotic Front, whose policies include curbing welfare payments
that often go to Bulgaria's Roma minority.

Borisov, well-known as a football fan, on election night
last Sunday said he planned to watch Real Madrid on TV as
opposed to press conferences from rival political parties.

The theme continued on Friday as Borisov dismissed
speculation he would step aside to let someone else become prime
minister, as some leaders of the Reformist Bloc demand.

Borisov said he wanted to be like Madrid striker Cristiano
Ronaldo, in the thick of things and "kicked on the field" as the
premier, rather than a manager on the sidelines like Chelsea's
Jose Mourinho.

(Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Tom Heneghan)