site.btaProsecution: The Results of the Referendum Should Be Binding

Prosecution: The Results of the Referendum Should Be Binding

Sofia, January 31 (BTA) - The Supreme Administrative Court held a hearing on a case, instituted based on a petition of the Initiative Committee for the Referendum against a ruling of the Central Electoral Commission on the Results of the referendum.

A national referendum was held parallel to the presidential elections late last year. People had to answer the following questions: election of National Representatives by an absolute majority in a two-round majoritarian system; compulsory voting in elections and referendums; and reducing the annual state subsidy for political parties and coalitions to 1 lev per valid vote received at the last parliamentary elections from 11 leva now.

The envelopes in the ballot boxes counted at the November 6 referendum totalled 3,488,558. The minimum required to make the results mandatory is 3,500,585 (the number of voters who cast ballots at the parliamentary elections in 2014). The majority answered "yes" to all three questions. The previous parliament could not pronounce on the referendum because Slavi's team challenged in court the decision of the Central Election Commission - that it is 12,027 votes short of becoming binding.

According to Deputy Prosecutor General Asya Petrova, the results of the referendum should be binding because some 12,500 ballots without an envelope cast in the referendum should have been added and not extracted from the turnout.

The Initiative Committee is of the opinion that, if the ballots without an envelope, are counted as valid, the results should be binding. The court-appointed experts said that the number of invalid ballots (12,500) is insignificant and cannot affect the final count. This stand is similar to the one, expressed by the Central Election Commission.

The court is expected to pronounce itself within a term of 14 days. However, its decision is not final as it can be appealed before a five-member panel of the Supreme Administrative Court.