# 2014 European Parliament election in Bulgaria

An election of the Members of the European Parliament from Bulgaria to the European Parliament was held on 25 May 2014 as part of the larger European Parliament election. After a decision by the European Council in 2013, Bulgaria was allocated 17 seats in the European Parliament for the Eighth European Parliament.
The election campaign officially began on 25 April 2014, one month before the election day.

## Background

The elections come a year after the 2013 parliamentary elections in Bulgaria that resulted in a minority parliament. Since the election winner, GERB, failed to form a government the Socialists and the DPS formed a coalition government led by Plamen Oresharski. The European elections of 2014 are considered to be of importance as they will reflect the popularity of the current government.

## Changes in electoral law

In February 2014 Bulgarian MPs voted to lower the preferential-vote threshold for the election from 6% to 5% of each list's total votes.
Implicit electoral threshold still remains equal to the Hare Quota, which is about 5.88% of the total valid votes.

## Opinion polls

Polls include Bulgarian parliamentary election polls if European parliamentary election polling numbers are unavailable.

### Pre election campaign

Pre election campaign polls :
| Source | Date | GERB | BSP | DPS | Attack | Reformist Bloc | BBT | NFSB | ABV | Others | Total |
| Sova Haris | 21 July 2013 | 16.9% | 19.3% | 7.8% | 2.3% | 3.9% | – | 2.3% | – | 1.8% | 54.3% |
| Alpha Research | 27 August 2013 | 15.6% | 18.4% | 5.8% | 1.5% | 7.6% | – | 3.1% | – | 21.6% | 73.6% |
| Alpha Research | 25 September 2013 | 15.6% | 17.9% | 5.8% | 1.5% | 7.6% | – | 3.1% | – | 21.6% | 73.6% |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 28 September 2013 | 16.6% | 18.5% | 5.8% | 1.4% | 5.6% | – | 1.9% | – | 16.5% | 66.3% |
| Afis | 29 September 2013 | 19.9% | 21.2% | 6.5% | 2.5% | 3.3% | – | 2.8% | – | 7.8% | 64.0% |
| Sova Haris | 24 October 2013 | 19.5% | 21.7% | 5.3% | 2.0% | 3.8% | 2.4% | 1.9% | – | 0.7% | 57.3% |
| Alpha Research | 31 October 2013 | 16.5% | 16.9% | 6.1% | 3.0% | 6.4% | – | 2.6% | – | 8.2% | 59.7% |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 10 November 2013 | 26.2% | 26.2% | 8.1% | 1.3% | 8.2% | 6.1% | 1.9% | – | – | 78.0% |
| Mediana | 18 November 2013 | 16.9% | 22.8% | 7.6% | 2.8% | 8.6% | 4.3% | 2.9% | – | 2.9% | 68.8% |
| Gallup | 19 November 2013 | 18.1% | 21.4% | 5.9% | 2.4% | 6.7% | – | – | – | – | 54.5% |
| Sova Haris | 4 December 2013 | 16.3% | 21.3% | 5.5% | 2.7% | 4.3% | 3.0% | 1.3% | – | 1.2% | 55.6% |
| Alpha Research | 8 December 2013 | 15.8% | 16.5% | 6.1% | 2.7% | 6.9% | – | 3.5% | – | 9.7% | 61.2% |
| AFIS | 12 December 2013 | 18% | 22% | 5% | 2% | 5% | 3% | 1% | – | 10% | 66% |
| Focus | 13 December 2013 | 23.5% | 22.3% | 5.5% | 2.7% | 5.8% | 3% | 3% | – | – | 65.8% |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 17 December 2013 | 21.0% | 21.2% | 4.8% | 1.9% | 4.8% | 5.0% | 1.9% | – | – | 60.6% |
| Gallup | 18 December 2013 | 18.0% | 22.8% | 6.1% | 1.8% | 4.8% | 2.1% | 1.6% | – | 3.5% | 60.7% |
| Sova Haris | 15 January 2014 | 18.4% | 19.5% | 6.8% | 2.3% | 4.2% | 3.0% | 1.5% | – | 0.8% | 56.5% |
| Gallup | 16 January 2014 | 18.1% | 21.6% | 5.8% | 1.5% | 4.8% | 2.5% | 2.1% | – | 3.5% | 59.9% |
| Alpha Research | 22 January 2014 | 17.8% | 15.0% | 6.0% | 2.5% | 5.2% | 2.6% | 3.1% | 7.0% | 3.2% | 62.4% |
| Modern Institute for Politics | 31 January 2014 | 19.8% | 20.5% | 4.3% | 1.6% | 4.5% | 5.6% | 1.5% | 1.0% | 4.0% | 62.8% |
| Medina | 7 February 2014 | 19.3% | 24.8% | 9.5% | <2.8% | 6.4% | 7.1% | 3.3% | 1.9% | - | 72.3% |
| Gallup | 10 February 2014 | 17.7% | 18.9% | 6.7% | 1.6% | 4.6% | 6.1% | 1.3% | 6.0% | 3.4% | 66.3% |
| Focus | 11 February 2014 | 21.7% | 19.2 | 6.0% | 1.8% | 5.6% | 6.0% | 3.0% | 6.0% | 5.1% | 74.4% |
| Alpha Research | 22 February 2014 | 16.9% | 15.1% | 6.9% | 2.1% | 5.0% | 5.5% | 3.2% | 6.1% | 5.8% | 66.6% |
| Metapolls | 28 February 2014 | 25.4% | 22.7% | 10.4% | 3.2% | 7.5% | 8.3% | 4.8% | 9.2% | 8.7% | 100% |
| Gallup | 13 March 2014 | 20.7% | 19.5% | 6.0% | 2.5% | 3.1% | 5.0% | 1.9% | 3.2% | 8.6% | 70.5% |
| Metapolls | 13 March 2014 | 29.4% | 27.7% | 8.7% | 3.5% | – | 7.1% | – | 4.5% | 19.3% | 100% |
| Alpha Research | 24 March 2014 | 17.4% | 15.2% | 6.5% | 2.0% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 3.6% | 4.0% | 5.5% | 64.5% |
| Sova Haris | 25 March 2014 | 20.6% | 21.9% | 7.0% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 6.6% | 0.9% | 2.4% | 0.6% | 65.0% |
| Gallup Archived 11 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine | 3 April 2014 | 20.9% | 20.0% | 6.4% | 2.2% | 2.1% | 5.3% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 8.1% | 70.9% |
| Medina | 5 April 2014 | 19.6% | 21.9% | 8.8% | 2.5% | 3.8% | 7.0% | 4.0% | 3.7% | – | 71.3% |
| Afis | 7 April 2014 | 21.0% | 23.0% | 5.1% | 3.5% | 2.9% | 5.7% | 1.8% | 4.4% | – | 67.4% |
| Ekzakta | 10 April 2014 | 22.5% | 18.9% | 6.0% | – | 5.2% | 5.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | – | 66.3% |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 12 April 2014 | 21.8% | 21.0% | 5.1% | 4.1% | 2.7% | 7.3% | 1.2% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 68.0% |
| Source | Date | GERB | BSP | DPS | Attack | Reformist Bloc | BBT | NFSB | ABV | Others | Total |

### Election campaign

| Source | Date | GERB | BSP | DPS | Attack | Reformist Bloc | BBT | NFSB | ABV | Others | Total |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 26 April 2014 | 17.6% | 15.9% | 6.2% | 2.5% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 7.0% | 66.1% |
| Sova Haris | 28 April 2014 | 17.0% | 19.2% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 4.1% | 5.5% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 0.3% | 58.3% |
| Center for Analysis and Marketing | 30 April 2014 | 14.8% | 13.3% | 6.8% | 1.7% | 3.0% | 2.7% | 2.1% | 0.7% | – | 45.1% |
| Mediana | 13 May 2014 | 17.1% | 20.5% | 7.3% | 3.5% | 4.3% | 9.8% | 3.6% | 2.9% | – | 69.0% |
| Institute for Modern Politics | 13 May 2014 | 19.3% | 20.5% | 7.0% | 4.5% | 2.5% | 7.5% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 2.6% | 68.8% |
| Exacta Research | 19 May 2014 | 28.5% | 24.0% | 11.3% | 4.1% | 6.2% | 11.1% | 3.8% | 5.8% | – | 94.8% |
| Alpha Research | 20 May 2014 | 27.3% | 23.6% | 13.4% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 10.5% | 3.9% | 5.3% | – | 94.0% |
| Source | Date | GERB | BSP | DPS | Attack | Reformist Bloc | BBT | NFSB | ABV | Others | Total |

### Exit polls

| Source | Date | GERB | BSP | DPS | Attack | Reformist Bloc | BBT | NFSB | ABV | Others | Total |
| Mediana | 25 May 2014 | 27.9% | 20.2% | 14.5% | – | 7.3% | 11.6% | – | – | – | 81.5% |
| Alpha Research | 25 May 2014 | 28.4% | 21.6% | 15.5% | – | 6.8% | 9.9% | – | – | – | 82.2% |
| Gallup International | 25 May 2014 | 28.6% | 19.8% | 14.9% | – | 6.4% | 11.1% | – | – | – | 80.8% |

## Results

| Party | Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
| | GERB | 680,838 | 30.40 | 6 | +1 |
| | Coalition for Bulgaria | 424,037 | 18.94 | 4 | 0 |
| | Movement for Rights and Freedoms | 386,725 | 17.27 | 4 | +1 |
| | Bulgaria Uncensored | 238,629 | 10.66 | 2 | New |
| | Reformist Bloc | 144,532 | 6.45 | 1 | 0 |
| | Alternative for Bulgarian Revival | 90,061 | 4.02 | 0 | New |
| | National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria | 68,376 | 3.05 | 0 | New |
| | Attack | 66,210 | 2.96 | 0 | –2 |
| | People's Voice | 22,440 | 1.00 | 0 | New |
| | Coalition KOD (OB–NDSV–SDP) | 20,487 | 0.91 | 0 | –2 |
| | The Greens | 12,547 | 0.56 | 0 | 0 |
| | Bulgarian Left | 11,014 | 0.49 | 0 | New |
| | Blue Unity | 10,786 | 0.48 | 0 | New |
| | Bulgarian Communist Party | 9,318 | 0.42 | 0 | New |
| | Green Party | 7,989 | 0.36 | 0 | New |
| | BASTA | 7,330 | 0.33 | 0 | New |
| | Party of Greens | 5,218 | 0.23 | 0 | New |
| | Union of Communists in Bulgaria | 3,217 | 0.14 | 0 | New |
| | Bulgarian National-Patriotic Party | 3,000 | 0.13 | 0 | New |
| | Christian Democratic Party | 2,964 | 0.13 | 0 | New |
| | Nationalist Parties of Bulgaria (Svoboda–Libertas Bulgaria) | 2,499 | 0.11 | 0 | New |
| | Independents | 21,213 | 0.95 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 2,239,430 | 100.00 | 17 | 0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,239,430 | 94.81 | | |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 122,536 | 5.19 | | |
| Total votes | Total votes | 2,361,966 | 100.00 | | |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 6,599,599 | 35.79 | | |
| Source: CIK ||||||

## Elected MEPs

The following 17 MEP were elected:
European People's Party–European Democrats – 7 seats:
* GERB – 6 seats
** Tomislav Donchev (former Minister of European Funding management)
** Andrey Kovatchev (second term as MEP)
** Maria Gabriel (second term as MEP)
** Vladimir Uruchev (third term as MEP)
** Eva Paunova
** Emil Radev
* RB Reformist Bloc – 1 seat
** Svetoslav Malinov (second term as MEP) (according to preliminary info a majority of the voters have expressed their preference for the second candidate in the list – Malinov. Confirmed by the Central Electoral Commission)
Party of European Socialists – 4 seats:
* BSP Bulgarian Socialist Party – 4 seats
** Momchil Nekov (Candidate No. 15 on the party list, but finished in first place after a surprising preference voting victory)
** Sergei Stanishev
** Iliana Yotova (third term as MEP)
** Georgi Pirinski
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe – 4 seats:
* DPS Movement for Rights and Freedoms – 4 seats:
** Filiz Husmenova (third term as MEP)
** Nedjmi Ali
** Ilhan Kyuchuk
** Iskra Mihaylova (incumbent Minister of Environment and Water Resources, instead of Delyan Peevski)
       Declined:
   * Delyan Peevski (steps down, turns over his seat to the fifth on the list)
European Conservatives and Reformists – 2 seats
* BBT Bulgaria Without Censorship (Electoral Alliance) – 2 seats
** Nikolay Barekov (Bulgaria Without Censorship)
** Angel Dzhambazki (IMRO – Bulgarian National Movement)

## Media expenses

According to a survey taken by the NGO Institute for Public Environment Development, the following table represents the media campaign expenses of the main parties:
| Party | Spending (BGN) | Spending per seat |
| Bulgaria Without Censorship | 1,085,655 | 542,827.50 |
| Bulgarian Socialist Party | 740,000 | 185,000 |
| Attack | 648,000 | Did not win any seats |
| Reformist Bloc | 360,000 | 360,000 |
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms | 294,500 | 73,625 |
| Alternative for Bulgarian Revival | 229,318 | Did not win any seats |
| GERB | 133,271 | 22,211.80 |
* Note: Campaign expenses were capped at BGN 2 million.