site.btaUPDATED Finance Minister's Right to Vote Denied in Haskovo for Lack of Residence

Finance Minister Assen Vassilev's vote was denied in Haskovo because of the lack of residence in the country. Vassilev arrived at noon on Sunday at the 28th polling station in Haskovo to exercise his right to vote.

It transpired that he was included in the so-called "ban list". He and people accompanying him from the local headquarters of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) went to the local municipality to get documents that would allow him to vote without making public statements.

Municipal Commission Chair Dobromir Yakov said at a briefing that the refusal of the district election commission was justified. A check showed that Vassilev's current address since the year 2000 is in the US, he explained. So far, there is no evidence that this address has been changed or is inactive, Yakimov added.

Asked how that could be corrected, Yakimov replied that Vassilev must provide evidence to the Civil Registration and Administrative Services Department that this data is not correct and that he was wrongly included on the ban list with a document from the United States. He should further obtain a certificate under Article 40 of the Election Code and certify that he has not voted and will not vote elsewhere.

However, the rule is that both the current and permanent address must be in Bulgaria, and at least one must be in the municipality where the vote is cast, Yakimov added.

According to him, the refusal of the district election commission can be appealed to the Municipal Election Commission, which decides immediately, and the last instance is the CEC.

Vassilev filed a complaint with the Haskovo Municipal Electoral Commission, the Commission said in a published decision later on Sunday. The complaint was later rejected.

"The case with me is absurd to say the least. The municipality of Haskovo for six hours tried and failed to establish that for the last six months an MP elected from the district and then Minister of Finance for the last six months has lived in the territory of the country.

“The situation is absurd to say the least,” Vassilev said at a briefing after his appeal was rejected. The Haskovo Municipality tried for six hours and failed to establish that for the last six months an MP elected from the district and a Minister of Finance has lived on the territory of the country,” he added. 

“This, unfortunately, is a verdict for Haskovo, which for the last few mandates has been managed in an absolutely disgraceful way,” the Finance Minister summed up. 

He noted that he has been registered on the Civil Registration and Administrative Services lists with a current US address since 2000 and has voted in local elections during that period.

The reason for the refusal was the fact that Vassilev had no residence in the country for the past six months and had an uninterrupted registration of his current address in the United States since 2000. The Finance Minister has attached as an argument the decision of the CEC of April 8 this year, by which he was elected MP.

He has requested that he be issued the certificate required for voting under Article 40 of the Election Code, the decision reads.

However, the Municipal Election Commission considered that the certificate request was addressed to an incompetent authority and referred Vassilev's complaint to Haskovo Municipality.