site.btaMPs Meet with Representatives of National Referendum Initiative Committee

MPs Meet with Representatives of National Referendum Initiative Committee

Sofia, November 24 (BTA) - Bulgarian parliamentarians Thursday met with Ivo Siromahov and Toshko Hadjitodorov of the 2016 National Referendum Initiative Committee to discuss the three questions put to the public on November 6. MPs of GERB, BSP-Left Bulgaria, ABV, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB), the Bulgarian Democratic Centre (BDC) and National Ombudsman Maya Manolova attended the discussion.

Siromahov noted the absence of representatives of the Reformist Bloc, the Patriotic Front, Ataka and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. He recalled that more than two and a half million Bulgarians voted in favour of cutting party subsidies, introducing a two-round majoritarian system for parliamentary elections, and compulsory voting. He asked the MPs what they were planning in the coming days in order to respect or disrespect the will of the people.

GERB Floor Leader Tsvetan Tsvetanov pointed out that some ten days ago his parliamentary group introduced a bill covering the three questions and expressed their support in principle for the referendum results. He invited the representatives of the Initiative Committee to attend a meeting of the Legal Affairs Committee, at which a public debate on the majoritarian system will be held.

Tsvetanov recalled that both at the committee stage and in the full house GERB had supported the referendum in its original six-question form. Referring to the bill drafted by Manolova, the Floor Leader said that he is in favour of introducing a majoritarian element but the manner in which it must be introduced is a matter of election legislation and no mistake should be made there.

Zhelyo Boichev MP of BSP-Left Bulgaria said that they are clear about the will of Bulgarian voters: they are unhappy with the election system, and there is a need of change. "We will by no means oppose this change," he pointed out. In his words, the switch to a majoritarian system raises a number of questions, and the Socialists have started a discussion on them and are seeking answers. He singled out election districting as a key question.

According to Roumen Petkov MP of ABV, this National Assembly has exhausted all its credit of confidence and does not have the moral right to address strategic national matters. He said that ABV want a majoritarian element in elections without a fixation on a particular system, so as to guarantee political representation.

BDC Co-floor Leader Krassimira Kovachka pointed out that the way people voted in the referendum is obvious and cannot be rigged, but the rules needed to implement this vote must be debated and adopted in Parliament.

DSB leader Radan Kanev said he is supportive of the idea of majoritarian elections. "I believe that this must be resolved by the present Parliament, and we must be responsible to our constituents," he insisted.

Ombudsman Manolova said she had drafted a bill on a replacement of the election system and had presented it to Parliament in order to defend citizens and help the MPs.