May 27 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's ruling centre-right party GERB has won 30.62% of the votes in the European Parliament (EP) elections in the country, defeating main opposition Socialists, preliminary results from the Central Election Commission showed on Monday.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) won 24.59%, while the second biggest opposition party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) came third with 15.01%, the election commission said after 74.92% of all votes were counted.
The commission estimated voter turnout at 26.2% by 1730 local time on Sunday, two hours and a half before polling stations closed. According to figures published on the website of the European Parliament, the estimated voter turnout in Bulgaria was 30.83%, significantly lower than the average recorded in the EU on Sunday - 50.82%, a 20-year high. In Bulgaria's previous elections for members of the European Parliament (MEP's) held in 2014 the turnout was 35.84%.
GERB's leading position would translate into seven seats in the European Parliament versus five for BSP, according to estimates of Sofia-based polling agency Alpha Research on Sunday. DPS would have three seats.
Above the threshold of 5.88% in Bulgaria for obtaining MEP seats came nationalist party VMRO, which is part of United Patriots - the junior partner of GERB in the government coalition, and right-wing Democratic Bulgaria - with 7.76% and 6.82%, respectively.
Based on those results, VMRO and Democratic Bulgaria are projected to receive one seat each, according to Alpha Research.
GERB had six MEP's in the outgoing European Parliament elected in 2014. BSP and DPS had four seats each and VMRO had one. Based on the partial official results announced by the election commission, Democratic Bulgaria is expected to be represented in the European Parliament for the first time.
GERB managed to recover after a drop in support from potential voters just a month before the EP elections prompted by property scandals involving high-ranking GERB officials that resulted in a series of resignations of cabinet ministers and key members of the party.
Bulgaria, which joined the EU in 2007, sends to the European Parliament 17 of its 751 members.