Bulgaria's European Election Campaign Kicks Off

Pre-election campaign begins on Friday in Bulgaria for May 25's vote which will send 17 MEPs to the European Parliament.

Fifteen parties and six coalitions have entered the race, but four independents candidates will also run, according to the website of Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission (CEC).

The number of independents was initially six, but on Wednesday and Thursday it decided to suspend registrations of Aleksandar Aleksiev, as it stated he did not meet the requirement to have lived in Bulgaria or another EU member for the last 6 months.

Under the new election law, the publishing of anonymous campaigning materials will be forbidden in Bulgarian media.

A paid report or article will have to be properly indicated. Contracts between media and political parties and candidates regarding news coverage will also have to be published on the media's websites.

Below is the list of political parties, coalitions and independent election candidates who have entered the race for the European Parliament, ordered by the numbers drawn in a lot at the Central Electoral Commission.

Names followed by information in brackets are either coalitions or independent candidates. If there are no brackets, the participant is a political party.

1 - The Bulgarian Left

2 - Popular Voice

3 - Party of the Greens

4 - Green Party

5 - Nikolay Bobrinov Yovev (independent)

6 - Christian-Democratic Party of Bulgaria

7 - Yanaki Ganchev (independent)

8 - Bulgarian National-Patriotic Party

9 - Blue Unity

10 - Reformist Bloc (Coalition of parties)

11 - National Front for the Salvation of...