European Parliament

40% of Bulgarians took advantage of the preference vote option in the European Parliament elections by 2 pm on Sunday, according to exit poll data.

Around 22.7% of the eligible voters cast their ballots by 2 pm on Sunday and 40% of them used the preference voting option, according to exit poll data of polling agency Gallup International.

Voter turnout in the European Parliament elections stood at 17.53% by 13.30 pm on Sunday, according to Alexander Andreev, Spokesperson for the Central Electoral Commission.

This means that 1 114 620 people cast their ballots out of a total of 6 357 824 eligible voters, according to the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).

Voter turnout in the Sunday's elections for the European Parliament in Romania as of 1 p.m. EEST was 12.54 percent, according to data released by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC).

Urban area turnout was 12.09 percent and rural area 13.15 percent.

As Bulgarians are voting in the European Parliament elections on Sunday, the first overseas polling station to open was the one in Tokyo.

At 5 am EET on Sunday, the polling stations in Russia, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates opened, according to reports of news.bg.

As Bulgaria got halfway through its European Parliament elections, a number of news sites published bogus forecasts indicating runners' likely standings.

Todor Grebenarov, head of the National Police Chief Directorate of the Interior Ministry, has said that the Election Day started normally, with no crude voting-related breaches.

The honorary President of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Ion Iliescu, said that it is very important for Romanians to show up and vote on Sunday, so that the country can consolidate its status in the European Parliament as a full member of the European Union.

Greeks vote today in the European Parliament elections and the second round of local polls.

Prime Minister Victor Ponta cast his vote in the elections to the European Parliament at Elementary School No 17 of Bucharest, on Sunday, accompanied by wife Daciana Sarbu and daughter Irina.

National leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), minor at rule, Kelemen Hunor said Sunday, after casting his ballot in the European elections, that he voted to secure the presence in the European Parliament of the Hungarian community of Romania, in hopes that European bodies will pay attention to the fate of the community.