"Election is the heart of democracy", and May 20th will be "an important day for Bulgarians": Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the European Parliament, makes a wish in the run-up to the election of the 18 MEPs that will go to Strasbourg and Brussels to represent the Balkan country. "As a member of the Assembly since 1979 goes on Poettering , I have gone through six direct European elections, and I invite the Bulgarian citizens to come in great numbers to this important ballot". The members who will be elected on Sunday, who will be officially received at the first plenary meeting in June, will remain in office until 2009, when the European Parliament will be totally renewed. Romania too, which joined the EU last January 1st along with Bulgaria, will have to elect its MEPs (35): the election has been planned for next autumn. So far, Sofia and Bucharest have the same number of "interim" MEPs appointed by their legislative assemblies. ” ” ” “
