site.btaPM Bliznashki: "Referendum Is Only Option for Radical Reform in Election System"

PM Bliznashki: "Referendum Is Only Option for Radical Reform in Election System"


Sofia, October 13 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Georgi
Bliznashki does not expect the new National Assembly to be
overenthusiastic, either, about a change of the election system.
"A radical reform can only be achieved through a referendum,"
the PM told journalists here on Monday, emerging from the last
meeting of the Citizens' Board for Free and Transparent
Elections.

In his opinion, Bulgarian citizens should be asked whether they
would accept the idea of a mixed electoral system, in which half
of the MPs would be elected by majority vote. This would
overcome quite a few of the shortcomings of the proportional
representation system. "We also initiated the idea of compulsory
voting which, too, should be subjected to a referendum, so that
critics arguing that the rights and freedoms of particular
population groups would thus be restricted would have no leg to
stand on," the head of government pointed out.

He sees this as a "painful subject", now that voter turnout
slumped to under 50 per cent at the latest parliamentary
elections. Bliznashki also plans to propose the option of
Bulgarians abroad voting electronically.

"We will consult urgently leading experts in this field, and I
hope we will get conclusions enabling us to press boldly ahead,
because we realize that this is a risky operation," the PM
argued. "If they assure us that there are sufficient guarantees
against abuses in electronic voting, I think that it should be
put into operation," he added. He recommends a return to the
d'Hondt method of seat allocation because it "consolidates the
votes and does guarantee a share to the smallest contestants",
as he put it.

Replying to a question, the Prime Minister said that provisions
of the Election Code are largely to blame for the post-election
protests. "We went too far in encouraging the small parties, in
our desire to encourage the emergence of new political entities,
which achieved this effect which has its corollary: the
fragmentation of parliament," Bliznashki commented. In his
words, changes in the electoral system should meet two
requirements: democracy and effectiveness. "Democracy has been
achieved through eight parties in Parliament, but the country
should also be governable. An excessive scattering of voices
should not be allowed, so that a cabinet could be formed."

Asked about the vote buying problem, the PM said that the
Government has done its best to curb this practice. "It is an
open secret, however, that some entities took a passive stand on
the issue," he said, declining to be more specific. The extreme
forms that were witnessed in recent years were prevented now.
"Some of the most notorious brokers in this business have left
the country," Bliznashki commented.