GERB Leads, BSP Second in EU Elections with 100% of Votes Counted

Center-right GERB has kept its 11-percent lead on the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in the European elections as 100% of the voting protocols have been processed.

GERB has received 30.40% of Sunday's votes, with the ruling BSP trailing second as it gained 18.94%.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) comes third with 17.26% Bulgaria without Censorship, a party established last year which led a coalition including smaller parties through the May 25 votes, has got 10.66% of the ballots cast.

The Reformist bloc, a coalition of right parties, gains 6.45%.

President (2002-2011) Georgi Parvanov's movement Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) has remained below the nearly 5.9% threshold with 4.04%.

The nationalist Ataka and National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB), as well as KOD, a coalition led by outgoing MEP Antoniya Parvanova are further below and have failed to make it into the European Parliament.

Results by the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) suggest that GERB will send 6 MEPs to Brussels, while the BSP and DPS will get four seat each. Bulgaria without Censorship will have two people in the European Parliament, and the Reformist Bloc could count on a single MEP in Brussels.

CEC officials also confirmed Monday's reports that both BSP and Reformist Bloc's election list could be rearranged, but is yet to officially confirm this after a second ballot count and to announce MEP names by the end of the week.

Hours after the election results were announced on Monday, Svetoslav Malinov, who is second in the list of the Reformist Bloc, was reported likely to replace the "number one" Meglena Kuneva as MEP following massive use of preferential vote.

Momchil Nekov, who is 15th in the BSP's...