site.btaParliament Limits Sections for Voting Abroad to 35 Per Country

Parliament Limits Sections for Voting Abroad to 35 Per Country

Sofia, July 13 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Parliament Wednesday passed conclusively amendments to the Election Code, allowing voting abroad outside the Bulgarian embassies and consulates but limiting to 35 the number of voting sections per country. The sections will be established in settlements where at least 60 voters have submitted applications expressing their desire to vote. The sections will be opened by a decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) on a proposal by the heads of diplomatic missions and consular posts that must be sent to the CEC not later than 25 days in advance of polling day.

The bill was tabled after earlier Election Code amendments survived a veto attempt by President Rosen Plevneliev but still left many politicians and members of the public dissatisfied with what they saw as restrictive provisions affecting expatriate voters. Bulgarians resident abroad launched a protest campaign.

MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and independent MP Lyutvi Mestan opposed the limitation of the number of sections, arguing that this provision affects the rights of Bulgarian citizens in Turkey. Mestan noted that the idea of the new amendments was to avoid a referral to the Constitutional Court by the head of State. "However, this bill achieved exactly the opposite objectives," he commented. In his words, these revisions overcome part of the obstacles to voting by Bulgarian citizens living in countries other than Turkey. He argued that, in this way, the number of voting sections in Turkey is reduced by nearly three-quarters. "You divide the nation into ethnic Bulgarians and ethnic Turks," Mestan commented and described the amendments as "an attempt to cover up a fascist, ethno-nazi outrage."

In response, Danail Kirilov MP of GERB presented the limitation on voting applicable to British citizens resident abroad and called on Mestan to take a stand regarding fascism in Britain.

"Power proved sweeter than human rights," Mestan reacted.

Chetin Kazak MP of the MRF pointed out that this is the bill of the Patriotic Front which GERB seconds because "this is the price for [the Patriotic Front's] support of the Cabinet."

Radan Kanev MP of the Reformist Bloc pointed out that 200,000 Bulgarians will change their status, from EU residents to non-EU residents, at the will of their host country: the UK. "Has anybody thought about that?" he asked.

Kirilov explained that the voting rules are identical regardless of whether the UK remains or leaves the EU.

At the latest Bulgarian parliamentary elections, in October 2014, the largest number of overseas voting sections, 136, were opened in Turkey. There were 42 sections in the US, 41 in Spain, 40 in the UK, 19 in Germany, 15 in Greece, 11 in France, and 8 in Italy.