Bulgaria elected its members of the European Parliament in a by-election on 20 May 2007. It was the country's first European election, having joined the Union on 1 January of that year. The country still had 18 MEPs, no change from before the election. Until Bulgaria could hold these elections, the country was represented by MEPs appointed by the National Assembly. The top two parties – GERB and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) – won 5 seats each, followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) with four, Ataka with three, and National Movement Simeon II (NDSV) with one. Voter turnout was 28.6%. It was considered likely that the result of the election would cause a major political crisis in Bulgaria, due to the expected weak results of the National Movement. Controversially, the eligible voters were limited to citizens of Bulgaria and the EU with their permanent and current address within the Union and a minimum of 60 days of the last three months before the elections spent within its borders. Because of this requirement, 232,800 people were rendered ineligible to vote, 185,000 of whom were Turkish Bulgarians resident in Turkey. Contesting parties The following parties contested the elections: Coalition of the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union Communist Party of Bulgaria Coalition of Bulgarian Social Democrats (Party of Bulgarian Social Democrats, Political Movement "Social Democrats") GERB Civil Union for New Bulgaria Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria European Socialists Platform (Bulgarian Socialist Party, Movement for Social Humanism) Green Party of Bulgaria Movement for Rights and Freedoms National Movement Simeon II Attack Order, Law and Justice Union of the Democratic Forces Union of Free Democrats two independents The People's First Movement had registered to contest the election, but were refused by the Central Electoral Commission. The five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death and the Bulgarian doctor who received a lighter sentence in the HIV trial in Libya were slated to stand as the six leading candidates on the list of the populist Order, Law and Justice Party – to put pressure on Libya to release the nurses and to postpone their execution because of the immunity they would have as MEPs. They were refused by the Central Electoral Commission, however, as they did not meet the residency requirements. Pre-election situation 18 MEPs were appointed by Bulgaria to serve as observers in the Parliament before the country joined on 1 January 2007. Those observers