A commission official draws the 14th slot for the ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), one of the parties with the highest chances to win multiple MEP seats, according to public opinion polls. Photo by Nadya Kotseva (Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) drew on Monday the ballot list for the European Parliament elections in the country, scheduled for May 20.
The draw put the Bulgarian Green party in the first place in the list, which has 16 spots after the CEC disqualified independent candidate Kristiyan Krastev because he had not gathered sufficient signatures supporting his MEP bid.
The list features 13 parties, one coalition and two independent candidates.
The coalition featuring the Socialist party, the senior partner in the ruling three-way coalition and the frontrunner in the polls before the election, has drawn the 8th spot.
Its two partners in the coalition, Simeon II National Movement (SIINM) and the ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), are 11th and 14th, respectively.
The GERB party of Sofia mayor Boyko Borisov, the main centre-right contender and second in the polls, is 10th.
Centre-right "Order, Rule of Law and Justice" party, which put forth Bulgaria's six medics imprisoned in Libya as its candidates for MEP, is fourth.
Ultra-nationalists from Ataka are in 12th.
Political parties looking bidding for MEP seats had to deposit BGN 15,000 and 15,000 signatures in their support. The requirement for the coalitions and initiative committees was a BGN 20,000 deposit and 20,000 signatures, and a BGN 10,000 deposit and 10,000 signatures, respectively.
Bulgaria joined the European Union in January and currently has 18 MEPs, compared to 35 by fellow newcomer Romania.
They enjoy full-fledged rights, but were delegated by their parliamentary represented parties instead of elected by general suffrage.