The right of centre Mayor of Sofia, Stefan Sofianski, has held onto power in Bulgaria's municipal elections, according to exit polls. His Union of Democratic Forces and other right-wing parites lost out to the Socialists in the first round. Their candidate to become the capital's first citizen was Stoyan Alexandrov. Like other left-wing local leaders surveys had suggested he could capitalise on a wave of unpopularity affecting the country's ruling coalition. In last Monday's vote the Socialists, formerly Bulgaria's Communist Party, emerged with 33 per cent of the vote, far outstripping the UDF on 21 per cent. The right had hoped for a higher turnout than on the previous occasion when only 40 per cent of the electorate cast their votes. Bulgarians are said to be disenchanted with the government over its failure to ease widespread poverty more than a decade after the collapse of communism. It remains to be seen how much of the country stays under the government's control. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A Bulgarian man leaves a polling booth during his vote in Sofia. (AFP/Dimitar Dilkoff)