site.btaRegistration for Oct. 27 Elections Opens, Two MRF Factions Register Simultaneously after Disturbing Process

On the first day of registration of parties and coalitions for the October 27 snap parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) Monday decided to accept the papers from both warring factions in the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), the one behind Honorary Chair Ahmed Dogan and the other behind floor leader Delyan Peevski.

The registration of parties and coalitions was delayed by over seven hours on Monday as representatives of the two MRF factions tried to race each other to the CEC to be the first to register, effectively disturbing the process.

Both wings said they would  be running in the elections in coalitions.

Iskra Mihaylova from a newly registered MRF - New Beginning coalition told reporters that it is made up of the wing of MRF supporting Delyan Peevski, the Bulgarian Voice party and the New Leaders party. She said it would seek a good showing in the October 27 parliamentary elections with support “from all reasonable people”.

Mihaylova said that CEC "obviously has organizational problems, it obviously finds it difficult to make decisions, so it left open the option to ask us for corrections and additional information to the documents".

Dzhevdet Chakarov of the other MRF faction told the media that his party has got registered in a coalition with two other parties - Just Bulgaria United Patriots (SBOR) and the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union. The coalition will run in the elections with the name Democracy, Rights and Freedoms (DRF).

The Bulgarian abbreviation for the coalition is the same as that of MRF.

"There is one MRF, it is under the leadership of [honorary chair Ahmed] Dogan," Dzhevdet Chakarov said.

Asked how voters will tell the two factions apart as they vote, Chakurov said that voters should not be underestimated and that those who have backed them so far will support the Movement for Rights and Freedom and their coalition too.

According to the approved CEC timeline, the registration will be open until September 11. 

CEC has until September 6 to appoint the constituency election commissions.

The Green Party also filed for registration on Monday.