site.btaPresident Says Everybody Should Work to Ensure Broad Participation of Expatriate Bulgarians in Upcoming Elections

Sofia, January 11 (BTA) - In a video conference with
representatives of organizations of expatriate Bulgarians on
Monday, President Rumen Radev said that all state institutions,
civic organizations and political parties should pool their
efforts to make sure Bulgarians abroad participate actively in
the upcoming elections for Bulgarian Parliament. The video
conference was part of broad consultations the President is
holding to make sure Bulgaria holds fair and safe national
elections.

The general elections are likely to be held March 28 although a
later date is not  completely out of the question.

The President told the expat Bulgarians that all Bulgarian votes
 from abroad matter for the election results but equally
important is that voting from abroad strengthens the spiritual
connection and involvement with the public and political life in
 Bulgaria.

Vice President Iliana Iotova said that one issue in view of the
future elections is that the IDs of many Bulgarians at home and
abroad are expiring. Participants in the video conference asked
if expired IDs will be extended considering that renewing them
now is difficult or impossible due to the travel disruptions.

Vice President Iotova warned this might be a reason for voters
to be unable to exercise their voting right.

She also said that the President's team doesn't want to see
anybody using the health crisis to curtail voting rights.

Iotova was likely referring to a controversy over the timing of
elections. The President said on a number of occasions that his
first choice is to have the elections on the earliest possible
date, March 28 but then he started consultations, first with
health officials, and some, including the Prime Minister, saw
that as an attempt to set a later date and put the
responsibility for that on the health authorities.

Atanas Pekanov, a Bulgarian economist in the European Central
Bank who lives and works in Austria, who is also a member of
Radev's Strategic Council, and who took part in Monday's
discussion, said that end of March is too early to conduct the
elections. Pekanov said that given the possible hope that the
warmer weather could ease the epidemic situation, it is sensible
 to have the elections later. Moreover, this would allow
gathering of people outside and would makes things easier. He
also said that now is the time to consider amendments regarding
voting by expatriate Bulgaria, such as provisions other
countries have long adopted, including voting by mail.

Other Bulgarians taking part in the discussion spoke in favour
of mail voting. Mariana De Meo, who lives in Vienna, said she
has had to wait in line for several hours in order to cast her
ballot. Yassen Boutashkov said that mail voting is more widely
used in Germany but people are divided about what happens with
voters' ballots once they are mailed.

Maria Spirova, who lives and works in Britain, said that the
health authorities there do not give hope for improvement of the
 pandemic in the next couple of months. What is more, due to
Brexit, polling stations there cannot exceed 35 in number which
in her words will be discrimination for Bulgarians living in
smaller towns in the UK. 

As part of his consultations, Radev has already met with top
medical officials, election officials and non-Parliamentary
parties. NV/LN, ZH