The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) expected higher support in Bulgaria’s first members of European Parliament (MEP) elections, Prime Minister and BSP leader Sergei Stanishev told a press conference.

Stanishev commented on the electoral results, according to which BSP gained slightly less support than its coalition partner Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).

Parties in Bulgaria failed to explain the importance of the vote and of European institutions for the life of Bulgarians, Stanishev said.

Yet, the voter turnout is not as low, as in some of the countries that joined the EU in 2004. Bulgaria’s voter turnout of 29 per cent approximates the levels in Estonia and Slovenia.

BSP had a strong list and a positive campaign, yet it failed to win the expected support, Stanishev said. The negative campaign of other parties managed to hesitate some of BSP supporters.

Stanishev said that the elections showed that the ruling coalition maintained its strong position and at the same time indicated the emergence of a strong new opposition in the face of centrist party Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (CEDB).

CEDB, however, involved itself in an aggressive and negative campaign, Stanishev said.

At the same time the MRF managed to carry out a strong campaign, Stanishev said. The MEP elections were a matter of honour to the MRF, which had to prove that it did not rely on the ethnic vote from abroad to win the elections.

Stanishev said that people sent strong signal to parties and BSP was going to analyse the electoral results carefully.