Health authorities are preparing a protocol for holding parliamentary elections in conditions of pandemic

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on January 5 began consultations on taking the necessary measures for conducting a fair and transparent election process to guarantee the right to vote and the health of Bulgarian citizens. The Head of State met senior health officials, including the Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov, Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, Prof. Krassimir Gigov, Prof. Radka Argirova, Prof. Andrey Chorbanov, Dr. Alexander Simidchiev.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all spheres of socio-political life," the President said at the start of the meeting. "More than once, all medical experts have stated that the pandemic will not end soon and we must learn to live along with the coronavirus, including organizing and conducting elections," he added.

Rumen Radev noted that elections in the conditions of coronavirus have already been held in a number of countries and stressed that we can learn from their experience. As President,it is extremely important for me to see that both the constitutional right to vote and safety are guaranteed for Bulgarians in the upcoming elections for the National Assembly,” the head of state pointed out.

The situation requires us to act responsibly and to successfully guide the people through what is happening. And then everyone should follow their goals and aspirations, said the Minister of Health Prof. Kostadin Angelov.

A protocol for conducting the elections is already being drafted. "This protocol must include two very important points. The first is how Bulgarian citizens vote safely, without risk to their health and how we guarantee the constitutional right of every Bulgarian citizen, including citizens who are in isolation, ie with positive test result. The other thing is how we ensure the safety of all employees who are involved in the conduct of the elections, and in particular the members of the commissions in the polling sections,“ the minister said.

When we understand the exact date of the elections, we will detail this protocol to answer these two points, Angelov explained.

"We have learned from the experience of the countries in which elections have been held so far, and we have taken into account the national needs of the Bulgarian people. We are all witnesses that no experience of any country in the world is universal and can be applied 100% on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria," the Minister of Health pointed out.
It is difficult to say from now on what will be the development of the epidemic situation in the country, said Assoc. Prof. Angel Kunchev, Chief State Health Inspector.

The National Vaccination Headquarters performs its tasks extremely well, said its head Prof. Krassimir Gigov during the consultations with the President.

The maximum possible number of vaccinated for the time being has been reached. We expect more vaccines in January, February and March, so by March 28 the number of vaccinated will increase. There will be more people who recovered from the virus infection, so the number of infected will be smaller. It's all a matter of organization, prevention, compliance with measures. With a good organization, the elections could take place around March 28, Prof. Gigov said.

images by BGNES

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