The ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms is confident it will rank second or third in the number of MEP seats gained in Bulgaria's upcoming first MEPs elections.

The projection was made by Disaster Management Minister Emel Etem in the town of Kardzhali, whose population largely consists of ethnic Turks.

The showing of the ethic party in the MEPs elections in May will depend to a great extent on a controversial part of a bill, currently in the making.

The right of Bulgarians, living in countries outside the European Union and Turkey in particular, to cast a ballot in the elections turned into the apple of discord last week and stumbled the vote.

The right-wing opposition and the nationalists took a firm stand against allowing Bulgarians in Turkey to determine the outcome of the vote. In their words these may bring "Trojan horses" to the European Parliament.

Interestingly four MPs from the centrist Simeon II National Movenment and two leftist MPs supported the proposal of the opposition to allow only people, who have lived in Bulgaria during the last six months, to vote.

The bill that was moved by the previous government, headed by the former king Simeon Saxe-Coburg, does not envisage ethnic Bulgarians in Turkey to have a say in electing Bulgaria's MEPs. It provided only for people, who have lived in Bulgaria during the last three months, to have the right to a vote.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!