European Parliament election, 2007 (Bulgaria)
Encyclopedia
Bulgaria
elected its members of the European Parliament
in a by-election
on 20 May 2007. It was the country's first European election, having joined the Union on 1 January of that year. The country now has 18 MEP
s, no change from before the election. Previously Bulgaria was represented by MEPs appointed by their national parliament. The top two parties scored 5 seats each; Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
and European Socialists Platform
, followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
with four, Ataka
with three, and National Movement Simeon II
(NDSV) with one.
It was considered likely that the result of the election would cause a major political crisis in Bulgaria, due to the expected weak results of the National Movement.
The five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death and the Bulgarian doctor who received a lighter sentence in the HIV trial in Libya
were slated to stand as the six leading candidates on the list of the populist
Order, Law and Justice Party – to put pressure on Libya to release the nurses and to postpone their execution because of the immunity they would have as MEP
s. They were refused by the Central Electoral Commission, however, as they did not meet the residency requirements.
Controversially, the eligible voters were limited to citizens of Bulgaria and the EU with their permanent and current address within the Union and a minimum of 60 days of the last three months before the elections spent within its borders. Because of this requirement, 232,800 people were rendered ineligible to vote, 185,000 of whom were Turkish Bulgarians
resident in Turkey
.
The People's First Movement had registered to contest the election, but were refused by the Central Electoral Commission:
, followed by a small margin by the Bulgarian Socialist Party
and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
, with the distance between the third and the first being less than 1.5%. The voter turnout
was 28.6%.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
elected its members of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
on 20 May 2007. It was the country's first European election, having joined the Union on 1 January of that year. The country now has 18 MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s, no change from before the election. Previously Bulgaria was represented by MEPs appointed by their national parliament. The top two parties scored 5 seats each; Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009....
and European Socialists Platform
Bulgarian Socialist Party
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev....
, followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
Movement for Rights and Freedoms
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland...
with four, Ataka
National Union Attack
The National Union Attack is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2009, it won 9.4% of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats...
with three, and National Movement Simeon II
National Movement Simeon II
The National Movement for Stability and Progress or Nacionalno dviženie za stabilnost i văzhod), until 3 June 2007 known as the National Movement Simeon II , is a liberal political party in Bulgaria, the vehicle of Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, the deposed Tsar of Bulgaria and former Prime...
(NDSV) with one.
It was considered likely that the result of the election would cause a major political crisis in Bulgaria, due to the expected weak results of the National Movement.
The five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death and the Bulgarian doctor who received a lighter sentence in the HIV trial in Libya
HIV trial in Libya
The HIV trial in Libya concerns the trials, appeals and eventual release of six foreign medical workers charged with conspiring to deliberately infect over 400 children with HIV in 1998, causing an epidemic at El-Fatih Children's Hospital in Benghazi, Libya.The defendants were a Palestinian...
were slated to stand as the six leading candidates on the list of the populist
Populism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
Order, Law and Justice Party – to put pressure on Libya to release the nurses and to postpone their execution because of the immunity they would have as MEP
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
s. They were refused by the Central Electoral Commission, however, as they did not meet the residency requirements.
Controversially, the eligible voters were limited to citizens of Bulgaria and the EU with their permanent and current address within the Union and a minimum of 60 days of the last three months before the elections spent within its borders. Because of this requirement, 232,800 people were rendered ineligible to vote, 185,000 of whom were Turkish Bulgarians
Turks in Bulgaria
The Turks in Bulgaria number 588,318 people and constitute 8.8% of those who declared their ethnic group and 8.0% of the total population according to the 2011 Bulgarian census. 605,802 persons or 9.1% of the population pointed Turkish language as their mother tongue. They are also the largest...
resident in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Contesting parties
The following parties contested the elections:- Coalition of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union
- Communist Party of BulgariaCommunist Party of BulgariaThe Communist Party of Bulgaria is a communist political party in Bulgaria. It is led by Alexander Paunov.The party was founded in 1996 as the Communist Party. Since 2001 it is part of the Coalition for Bulgaria, an alliance led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party...
- Coalition of Bulgarian Social Democrats (Party of Bulgarian Social DemocratsParty of Bulgarian Social DemocratsThe Party of Bulgarian Social Democrats is a social-democratic political party in Bulgaria. It is a member of the Socialist International and the Party of European Socialists.-History:...
, Political Movement "Social Democrats") - Citizens for European Development of BulgariaCitizens for European Development of BulgariaCitizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009....
- Civil Union for New Bulgaria
- Democrats for a Strong BulgariaDemocrats for a Strong BulgariaDemocrats for a Strong Bulgaria is a political party in Bulgaria established by former Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov . The motto of the party is "For a Strong Bulgaria in Unified Europe".- History :...
- European Socialists Platform (Bulgarian Socialist PartyBulgarian Socialist PartyThe Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev....
, Movement for Social HumanismMovement for Social HumanismThe Movement for Social Humanism is a progressive political party in Bulgaria. It is part of the Coalition for Bulgaria, an alliance led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The coalition won in the 2001 elections 17.1 % of the popular vote and 48 out of 240 seats...
) - Green Party of BulgariaGreen Party of BulgariaThe Green Party of Bulgaria is a political party in Bulgaria. It is part of the Coalition for Bulgaria, an alliance led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party...
- Movement for Rights and FreedomsMovement for Rights and FreedomsThe Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland...
- National Movement Simeon IINational Movement Simeon IIThe National Movement for Stability and Progress or Nacionalno dviženie za stabilnost i văzhod), until 3 June 2007 known as the National Movement Simeon II , is a liberal political party in Bulgaria, the vehicle of Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, the deposed Tsar of Bulgaria and former Prime...
- National Union AttackNational Union AttackThe National Union Attack is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2009, it won 9.4% of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats...
- Order, Law and Justice
- Union of the Democratic Forces
- Union of Free DemocratsUnion of Free DemocratsThe Union of Free Democrats is a conservative political party in Bulgaria, led by Stefan Sofiyanski. It contested the 2001 elections as part of the United Democratic Forces electoral alliance, which picked up 51 of 240 seats...
- two independentsIndependent (politician)In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
The People's First Movement had registered to contest the election, but were refused by the Central Electoral Commission:
Pre-election situation
18 MEPs were appointed by Bulgaria to serve as observers in the Parliament before the country joined on 1 January 2007. Those observers then functioned as Bulgaria's appointed delegation to the European Parliament until elections were held on 20 May 2007. The breakdown of parties and their European Parliament political groups for the period 1 January 2007 to 20 May 2007 was as follows:| Party | Group | Seats |
|---|---|---|
| Coalition for Bulgaria Coalition for Bulgaria The Coalition for Bulgaria is a centre-left electoral alliance in Bulgaria, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party.-Members of the coalition:2001 / 2005 *Bulgarian Socialist Party .... |
PES Party of European Socialists The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The... |
6 |
| National Movement Simeon II National Movement Simeon II The National Movement for Stability and Progress or Nacionalno dviženie za stabilnost i văzhod), until 3 June 2007 known as the National Movement Simeon II , is a liberal political party in Bulgaria, the vehicle of Simeon Borisov Sakskoburggotski, the deposed Tsar of Bulgaria and former Prime... |
ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the... |
4 |
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms Movement for Rights and Freedoms The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland... |
ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is a transnational alliance between two European political parties: the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party and the European Democratic Party. It has political groups in the European Parliament, the EU Committee of the Regions, the... |
3 |
| United Democratic Forces United Democratic Forces The United Democratic Forces were a center-right electoral alliance in Bulgaria, led by the Union of Democratic Forces.-Members of the coalition:1997 *Union of Democratic Forces... |
EPP-ED European People's Party–European Democrats The Group of the European People's Party , abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament... |
2 |
| Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria is a political party in Bulgaria established by former Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov . The motto of the party is "For a Strong Bulgaria in Unified Europe".- History :... |
EPP-ED European People's Party–European Democrats The Group of the European People's Party , abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament... |
1 |
| Bulgarian People's Union Bulgarian People's Union The Bulgarian People's Union is an electoral alliance in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 25 June 2005, it won 5.7 % of the popular vote and 13 out of 240 seats... |
EPP-ED European People's Party–European Democrats The Group of the European People's Party , abbreviated to EPP Group, is a centre-right political group of the European Parliament... |
1 |
| National Union Attack National Union Attack The National Union Attack is a nationalist political party in Bulgaria. At the last legislative elections, 5 July 2009, it won 9.4% of the popular vote and 21 out of 240 seats... |
ITS Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty thumb|right|Group logoIdentity, Tradition, Sovereignty was a political group in the European Parliament composed of 23 members from European parties variously described as right-wing and nationalist... |
1 |
Results
The official results were announced by the Central Electoral Commission on 21 May. According to the official data, the winner of the elections was Citizens for European Development of BulgariaCitizens for European Development of Bulgaria
Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria , abbreviated GERB , is a Bulgarian centre-right political party established on March 13 2006. It has been Bulgaria's ruling party since 2009....
, followed by a small margin by the Bulgarian Socialist Party
Bulgarian Socialist Party
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is social-democratic political party in Bulgaria and successor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. The BSP is a member of the Party of European Socialists and Socialist International, and is currently led by Sergei Stanishev....
and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
Movement for Rights and Freedoms
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms is an ethnic Turkish party in Bulgaria. The MRF is a member of the Liberal International and considers itself a liberal party, rather like the Swedish People's Party - party of the Swedish-speaking minority of Finland...
, with the distance between the third and the first being less than 1.5%. The voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 28.6%.
Elected MEPs
According to the election results, the following 18 candidates were elected as Bulgarian Members of the European Parliament:- Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (5)
- Dushana Zdravkova
- Vladimir Uruchev
- Nikolay MladenovNikolay MladenovNickolay Evtimov Mladenov is a Bulgarian politician who has been Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov since 2010. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009 and was Minister of Defense from 27 July 2009 to 27 January...
- Petya Stavreva
- Rumyana Zheleva
- Bulgarian Socialist Party (5)
- Kristian VigeninKristian VigeninKristian Vigenin is a Bulgarian politician and Member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Coalition for Bulgaria, part of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union....
- Iliyana Yotova
- Atanas PaparizovAtanas PaparizovAtanas Atanassov Paparizov is a Bulgarian politician and Member of the European Parliament. He is a member of the Coalition for Bulgaria, part of the Party of European Socialists, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union.-External links:* *...
- Marusya Lyubenova
- Evgeni KirilovEvgeni KirilovEvgeni Zahariev Kirilov is a Bulgarian politician and Member of the European Parliament...
- Kristian Vigenin
- Movement for Rights and Freedoms (4)
- Filiz HusmenovaFiliz HusmenovaFiliz Hakaeva Hyusmenova is a Bulgarian politician and Member of the European Parliament. She is a member of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, and became an MEP on 1 January 2007 with the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union....
- Mariela Baeva
- Metin KazakMetin KazakMetin Kazak is a Bulgarian politician and Member of European Parliament. He is a member of Movement for Rights and Freedoms. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 2007, and re-elected in 2009.-External links:*...
- Vladko Panayotov
- Filiz Husmenova
- National Union Attack (3)
- Dimitar StoyanovDimitar Stoyanov (politician)Dimitar Kinov Stoyanov is a Bulgarian and EU politician.While still a student of Law at Sofia University, Dimitar Stoyanov joined the National Union Attack party headed by Volen Siderov. Stoyanov was elected in 2005 as the youngest member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria on the list of the...
- Slavcho BinevSlavcho BinevSlavcho Penchev Binev Slavcho Penchev Binev Slavcho Penchev Binev (sometimes (Slavi Binev) was born on December 10, 1965 in Sofia, Bulgaria.Slavcho Binev was elected member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria on May 20, 2007. He was a member of the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty (ITS)...
- Desislav ChukolovDesislav ChukolovDesislav Slavov Chukolov born on December 22, 1974 in Ruse, Bulgaria.Desislav Chukolov was elected member of the European Parliament from Bulgaria on May 20, 2007. He was a member of the Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty political group until the group ceased to exist on November 14, 2007. He is...
- Dimitar Stoyanov
- National Movement Simeon II (1)
- Bilyana Raeva
See also
- Elections in BulgariaElections in BulgariaElections in Bulgaria gives information on election and election results in Bulgaria.Bulgaria elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five year term by the people...
- Elections in the European UnionElections in the European UnionElections to the Parliament of the European Union take place every five years by universal adult suffrage. 736 MEPs are elected to the European Parliament which has been directly elected since 1979. No other body is directly elected although the Council of the European Union and European Council is...
- European Parliament election, 2007European Parliament election, 2007Two member states of the European Union held elections to the European Parliament in 2007. For details, see*European Parliament election, 2007 *European Parliament election, 2007...
- European Parliament election, 2007 (Romania)European Parliament election, 2007 (Romania)Romania elected its members of the European Parliament for the first time on 25 November 2007; the election was initially scheduled for 13 May, but the PM postponed it for domestic political reasons...
- Bulgaria (European Parliament constituency)Bulgaria (European Parliament constituency)In European elections, Bulgaria is a constituency of the European Parliament, currently represented by eighteen MEPs. It covers the member state of the Bulgaria.-Current MEPs:As of October 2007-2007:...
External links
- Weak turnout marks European elections in Bulgaria euractiv.com 21/05/07
- Bulgaria's First European Vote novinite.com
- Bulgaria elects new MEPs amid corruption worries EUobserver 21/05/07
- Results izbori2007.eu (Bulgarian)
- Seats news.ibox.bg (Bulgarian)