BULGARIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES A NATIONAL REFERENDUM ON VOTING RULES

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev appealed to the Parliament to make a decision to organise a national referendum on changes to the voting rules. In an official address, broadcast on the Bulgarian National Television on 29th January, the President specified three main questions to ask the society:

1. Do you support to elect some MPs directly, through a majority system, rather than from party lists?

2. Do you support voting in elections and national referendums to be made obligatory?

3. Do you support introduction of electronic voting in elections and national referendums?

The President proposed the referendum to be held along with the elections to the European Parliament in May 2014.

“This way, at the lowest possible cost, the people will express their position on important issues related to the political rights of the Bulgarian citizens, that are at the basis of the democracy,” Plevneliev said.

The major motives to seek people’s say on amendments to the election rules were that such changes would make manipulation of the voting impossible and would bring back public confidence in the importance of their vote.

“I appeal the MPs to make a decision to hold a national referendum on these issues, which, I believe, will help to stabilise the institutions in Bulgaria and increase public trust,” the President stated.