site.btaAmendments Drafted by Justice Ministry Would Introduce Three-Month Residence Qualifications for Voters in Parliamentary, Presidential Elections

Amendments Drafted by Justice Ministry Would Introduce Three-Month Residence Qualifications for Voters in Parliamentary, Presidential Elections

Sofia, April 4 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Justice Ministry has drafted a proposal for amendments to the Election Code (contained in the Final Provision of a Bill to Supplement the Bulgarian Citizenship Act) introducing three-month residence qualifications for voting in parliamentary and presidential elections. This affects some 2 million expatriate Bulgarians who are eligible to participate in such elections. The same bill would also amend the Religious Denominations Act, banning the financing of religious organizations in Bulgaria by foreign States.

The proposed revisions have been posted on the Ministry's website for public consultation.

In its reasons, the Ministry writes that the residence qualifications are similar to the ones currently applicable to local elections and European Parliament elections. The sole purpose of the amendment is to standardize the requirements for the exercise of Bulgarian citizens' right to vote in elections.

The move comes just a week after early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. The large number of voters among Bulgarian emigrants to Turkey were a major issue both before and during the elections, as they are suspected by certain quarters to be used by one of the two parties for which they vote on a massive scale: the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and DOST, to project the interests of a foreign power.

Under the same bill, the systematic inclusion of religious institutions and their representatives in the political and organizational activity of a political party, its election campaigns and canvassing would be added in the Political Parties Act as separate grounds for striking the registration of any such party.

Another proposed amendment to the Election Code would make it possible to strike the registration for entry into elections of parties, coalitions and independent candidate nomination committees that systematically violate the restrictions imposed by the Religious Denominations Act or canvassing in a language other than the Bulgarian language, which is the official language in Bulgaria established by the Constitution. The idea is to apply more effectively the constitutional ban on using religion for political purposes.

A draft revision of the Religious Denominations Act would prohibit the financing of religious denominations by foreign States and their bodies and organizations. If necessary, the Bulgarian State may arrange such relations by an international treaty, considering the specificity of certain religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Church, which is under the jurisdiction of the Holy See (a full subject of international law), the reasons explain.

To safeguard the constitutional system and to protect Bulgarian citizens' rights and freedoms, the amendments ban foreign nationals representing religious institutions which are Bulgarian legal persons. The effective procedure for engaging foreign nationals as ministers of religion for the religious denominations registered in Bulgaria and the procedure for opening medical-treatment facilities, social and educational establishments of the denominations is streamlined.