BULGARIA’S RULING MAJORITY CONSIDERS NEW CHANGES TO THE ELECTORAL CODE

Bulgaria’s ruling majority considers new changes to the electoral code to ensure the constitutional rights of the Bulgarian citizens and the national security. This became clear after the two-hour long meeting in Bulgaria’s National assembly on 10th of May. The meeting was held between Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the chairperson of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsatcheva, Deputy Prime Minister Rumyana Bachvarova and the leaders of the parliamentary groups of the governing coalition partners, the centre-right GERB and the Reformist Bloc, and the minority coalition partner, the Patriotic Front. The Parliamentary group of another minority partner in the coalition, the centre-left ABV party, did not take part in the talks.

The Patriotic Front did not want to retreat to their positions and insisted on rejecting the veto imposed by Bulgaria’s President on the amendments to the Electoral Code concerning the polling sections of the Bulgarians abroad. At the same time, according to the Chair of the Patriotic Front, Valeri Simonov, they have heard good suggestions from both GERB and the Reformist Bloc and were willing to take part in a new legislative initiative.

Besides concerns about national security, the reason the Patriotic Front want the veto by the head of state not to be accepted is that President Rosen Plevneliev has refused a meeting with the Patriotic Front, despite that such meeting was requested on 6th of May. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian President would not wish to debate with the Parliament and imposed a veto, the leader of IMRO and Patriotic Front Co-Chairman Krassimir Karakachanov said. The Patriotic Front is for a stable government, strong Bulgarian state and prosperity of the Bulgarian citizens, he noted.

As a party, GERB has always been a guarantor that every person in Bulgaria is heard, PM Boyko Borissov said in turn. GERB, as well as the Patriotic Front insist on purity and maximum transparency at the elections. At the same time, in the words of the PM, constitutional rights of Bulgarian citizens get limited as a result of the amendments to the electoral code. Borissov hopes that after the talks at expert level which will be held over the next few days, the amendments will be drafted in such a manner that they would ensure the constitutional rights of all Bulgarians abroad and at the same time the justified fears and problems, which so far existed in relation to the electoral code, would be put to an end.

Deputy PM Bachvarova, in charge of coalition policy, commented that the most important after the meeting was the common understanding that a good law should be drafted and the additional changes would be in that direction – ensuring the rights of the citizens and effectively organized elections by the state. It is very important, she emphasized, that there as many polling stations as in which the state can guarantee it will ensure proper conduct of the electoral process.

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