site.btaPresident Plevneliev to Decide About Veto on Election Code Amendments Within Days

President Plevneliev to Decide About Veto on Election Code Amendments Within Days

Koprivshtitsa, Western Bulgaria, May 2 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev will announce within days whether he will veto recent amendments to the Election Code. The head of state spoke to journalists in Koprivshtitsa, whether he attended observances of the 140th anniversary of the April Uprising.

Plevneliev said that legal experts are reviewing the amendments. "I've put together a team of legal experts with the Presidency, who are considering in-depth each provision in terms of its wording, sense and truth to the Constitution and the spirit of the democratic state," said Plevneliev.

He went on to say that the following days will be crucial. "Within two or three days the team will come up with an assessment of the revisions and then I will be able to make a final conclusion," said the President. He added that if there is veto it will be on specific provisions.

Earlier in April the legislature adopted changes to the Election Code making voting mandatory, legislating against the creation of an "Abroad" constituency in parliamentary elections and limiting overseas voting only to embassies and consulates, among other changes. Some of these were undone or softened only a week later amid the objections of some parties and growing discontent among Bulgarian voters at home and abroad.

The changes triggered an outcry among expatriate Bulgarians and they have created a petition protesting the refusal of the legislators to create an "Abroad" constituency and the restrictions concerning the location of the voting stations.

A fresh protest was held in London on May 1, the Orthodox Easter, when Bulgarians lined up in front of the Bulgarian Embassy in a a campaign mottoed "Reserve a Place!" implying that they need to reserve a place in the voting queue well in advance to be able to exercise their voting rights, the news media report. Using the Easter theme, Bulgarians across the world published in the social media photos and videos of "protest" Easter eggs with inscriptions against the latest Election Code revisions.

Taking a question about Bulgarians abroad, Plevneliev said that he keeps constantly in touch with their organizations and assesses very carefully their opinions. "We are heeding fellow Bulgarians abroad. They are an integral part of our fatherland and we want to tell them that their voice will be heard," said the head of state.