site.btaTISP Proposes Halving Number of Signatures Required for Compulsory Referendum

There is Such a People (TISP) proposes to halve the number of signatures required for the compulsory referendum by submitting to the National Assembly a bill on amendments and supplements to the Law on direct participation of citizens in state power and local self-government.

According to TISP MP Stanislav Balabanov, referendums should be produced simultaneously with the elections.

The proposed changes also ease the petition requirements for triggering national and local referendums. According to Balabanov, the current 400,000 signatures required for a referendum to become binding and be produced is a huge number; the proposal is to cut it in half - to require 200,000 signatures.

Another TISP proposal is to reduce from 200,000 to 100,000 the minimum number of signatures that must be collected in order for the issue to come to the National Assembly for discussion.

"We propose to increase the period for collecting signatures from three to five months", Balabanov added. TISP is also pushing for the removal of the requirement for the petition to be submitted electronically.