Poll: 3-5 Bulgarian Parties to Enter EP after May 2014 Vote

A survey of the Institute of Modern Politics (IMP) shows that the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has a slight edge over its main rival center-right party GERB.

According to the poll, if the European Parliament elections were held today, BSP would be backed by 18.8% of voters, center-right party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) by 18%; the coalition of Bulgaria without Censorship of former TV host Nikolay Barekov with nationalist party VMRO and ZNS (Agrarian National Union) by 8%; liberal party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) by 4.3%; the ABV Movement of former Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov by 3.9%; the right-wing formation The Reformist Bloc by 3.6%; nationalist party Ataka by 3%;  nationalist party National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB) by 1.2%.

The poll, conducted in February, registered an upward trend in the support for the Bulgaria without Censorship-VMRO-ZNS union, at 8%, from 5.6% in January 2014 and 5% in December 2013. The coalition has climbed to third place after ruling party BSP and former ruling party GERB.

The poll also shows a 1% increase in the support for the ABV Movement to 3.9% and an increase in the rating of nationalist party Ataka to 3% from 1.6% in January 2014.

Right-wing formation The Reformist Bloc continues to lose support among voters, dropping to 3.6% in February 2014 from 4.5% in January 2014 and 4.8% in December 2013.

Parties such as the Bulgarian Greens party (Zelenite), the "Modern Bulgaria" civic movement, and the People's Voice party of Hipodil frontman SvetoslavVitkov, which took part in the last elections, register support of around 1%, according to the poll, as cited by the BGNES news agency.

Some 25.7% of the polled say they will not vote.

According to IMP, if the trends persist up to the European Parliament elections in May 2014, 3-5 Bulgarian parties will be represented in the EP.

Around ? of the polled back the proposal to hold a referendum on the electoral system alongside the EP elections and 24% of the polled oppose the idea.

At the same time, 58.2% of the polled back the introduction of compulsory voting, while 35.1% reject the proposal.

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