ON 6th OF NOVEMBER BULGARIA VOTES IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND NATIONAL REFERENDUM

On 6th of November, Bulgaria is holding Presidential elections and a national referendum. Voting started at 7:00 am and will close at 20:00 this evening.

6,834,278 Bulgarians are eligible to vote in the Presidential elections and 6,832,288 in the national referendum.

The questions for the national referendum are as follows:

1. Do you support to elect the MPs through a majority system with absolute majority in two rounds?

2. Do you support the introduction of compulsory voting at elections and referendums?

3. Do you support the idea for the annual state subsidy allocated for financing of the political parties and coalitions to be BGN 1 for each real vote received at the last general elections?

11 parties, 5 coalitions and 14 nomination committees registered for participation in the elections for President and Vice President. 21 candidates and their running mated were registered for the elections. 7 are supported by political parties.

Svetoslav Vitkov and Vladimir Kuzov dropped from the list of Presidential candidates because of insufficient number of signatures in the petitions. The numbering of the candidates on the ballot paper was not re-arranged. Their number and names did not appear on the ballot paper.

2.Nomination committee represented by Plamen Trifonov Hristov

Vesselin Naidenov Mareshki – candidate for President

Petra Zhivkov Petrov – candidate for Vice-President

3.Movement for Radical Change Bulgarian Spring, political party

Velizar Enchev – candidate for President

Bilyana Gruncharova – candidate for Vice-President

4. Nomination committee represented by Nikolai Toshkov Enchev

Plamen Vassilev Oresharski – candidate for President

Danail Stoyanov Papazov – candidate for Vice-President

5. Christian Democratic Union, political party

George Ganchev Ganchev – candidate for President

Kolyo Petkov Paramov – candidate for Vice-President

6. Nomination committee represented by Valentin Assenov Nikolov

Dianna Gervasova Dimitrova – candidate for President

Gabriel Georgiev Gerasimov – candidate for Vice-President

7. Reformist Bloc, coalition

Traicho Dimitrov Traikov – candidate for President

Sabi Ivanov Sabev – candidate for Vice-President

8. Nomination committee represented by Vitori Bisserov Milanov

Biser Georgiev Milanov – candidate for President

Krasimir Petrov Nastev – candidate for Vice-President

10. Bulgarian Social Democrats – Euroleft, political party

Alexander Trifonov Tomov – candidate for President

Radoslav Yordanov Radoslavov – candidate for Vice-President

11. Nomination committee represented by Ivan Ivanov Stamboliev

Yordanka Radieva Koleva – candidate for President

Vesselin Dimitrov Hristov – candidate for Vice-President

12. Movement 21 – NMSP, political election coalition

Tatyana Doncheva Toteva – candidate for President

Mincho Viktorov Spasov – candidate for Vice-President

13. Nomination committee represented by Stefan Lambov Danailov

Rumen Georgiev Radev – candidate for President

Iliyana Malinova Yotova – candidate for Vice-President

14. Bulgarian Democratic Union, political party

Gospodin Tonchev Tonchev – candidate for President

Andrei Avramov Andreev – candidate for Vice-President

15. “Kalfin – President”, coalition

Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin – candidate for President

Luybomir Todorov Halachev – candidate for Vice-President

16. Nomination committed represented by Valeri Vassilev Venkov

Kamen Slavyanov Popov – candidate for President

Georgi Stefanov Nedelchev – candidate for Vice-President

17. GERB, political party

Tsetska Tsacheva Dangovska – candidate for President

Plamen Ivanov Manushev – candidate for Vice-President

18. Nomination committee represented by Ivailo Plamenov Velinov

Rumen Galabinov Galabinov – candidate for President

Veska Atansaova Voleva – candidate for Vice-President

19. Coalition “ United Patriots – National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria (NFSB), Ataka, Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (IMRO)”

Krasimir Danchev Karakachanov – candidate for President

Yavor Bozhilov Notev – candidate for Vice-President

20. Balkan Democratic League, political party

Kemil Ahmed Ramadan – candidate for President

Momchil Dobrev Dobrev – candidate for Vice-President

21. Nomination Committee represented by Ognyan Slavchev Tsvetkov

Plamen Panayotov Paskov – candidate for President

Svetozar Stoyanov Saev – candidate for Vice-President

22. Bulgarian National Union, political party

Dimitar Vassilev Marinov – candidate for President

Radoslav Petrov Petrov – candidate for Vice-President

23. Nomination committee represented by Isai Velichkov Peshev

Nikolai Yordanov Banev – candidate for President

Sali Shaban Ibryam – candidate for Vice-President

Voting will take place in 12.418 polling stations across the country and a total of 325 in 71 countries.

If none of the candidates receives more than half of the valid votes at the first round on 6th of November, a second round will be held on 13th of November, at which the candidate who receives the larger number of votes will win the elections.

This has been the fifth time Bulgaria holds Presidential Elections since the democratic changes in 1989. All previous Presidents were elected at run-offs.

Voting in the referendum is not compulsory. This is the third national referendum since the democratic changes in 1989 and the sixth one in the history of the country.

The polling stations across the country opened at 7.00 a.m. and will close at 20.00 as required by the law.

Passport services in the country are also working from 8.30 till 19:00 to assist people who do not have valid ID cards or documents issued.

Electoral violations and misconduct can be reported to the Ministry of Interior’s telephone line: +359 2 982 2232 or e-mail address izbor@mvr.bg.

Witnesses of electoral violations on the election day can also submit an alert on

news.bnt.bg/Mynews or mynews@bnt.bg.