Sofia, OCT 21, SPA -- Bulgaria was getting ready Saturday for itspresidential elections on Sunday, in which the incumbent GeorgiParvanov was widely expected to win another five years in the officeand lead his country to EU membership in 2007, REPORTED DPA. Latest surveys predict that Parvanov would claim more than 50 percent of the ballots cast Sunday, but still fall short of winningoutright owing to voter apathy and an expected weak turnout. For a first-round win, a candidate must secure more than 50 percent of the votes on a better than half turnout. Pollsters predictthat less than half of the 6.7 million voters will show up Sunday. If forced to a runoff a week later, Parvanov would most likelyface the far-right nationalist Volen Siderov, expected to win between25 and 27 per cent of the votes. Some analysts believe that the populist Siderov may have thepotential to pull off a surprise, since people in polls wereembarassed to admit supporting him, the novinite.com agency said. None of the remaining five runners have a better than an outsidechance of reaching a possible runoff on October 29. The post of the president in Bulgaria is largely ceremonial, withlimited authority, most of which is in the hands of the government,which was elected to a four-year term in 2005. Parvanov is the third president elected in Bulgaria since the fallof Communism in 1989. None of his predecessors served two terms. Polling stations will be open between 6 am and 7 pm local time(0300-1600GMT) and first results are expected shortly after thevoting ends. After 17 years of transition, the former Warsaw Pact stateBulgaria is now a member of NATO - since 2004 - and is set to jointhe EU on January 1, along with its northern neighbour, Romania.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/397387