site.btaCentral Election Commission Decision on Reallocation of Legislative Seats Published in Special Edition of State Gazette

A decision made by Bulgaria’s Central Election Commission (CEC) regarding the reallocation of seats in the 51st National Assembly was published in a special edition of the State Gazette on Saturday. 

On Thursday, the CEC set the 4% threshold for entry into Parliament at 97,390 valid votes and the Velichie party qualified for the allocation of legislative seats. Earlier in the day, the Constitutional Court ruled that 16 MPs in the 51st National Assembly were unlawfully elected on October 27, 2024. The Court noted that after the recalculation of the results, the 4% electoral threshold for the allocation of seats equals 97,390.44 valid votes cast in Bulgaria and abroad, excluding the None Of The Above votes. Velichie received 97,497 votes, or 59 more than before the recalculation. Before the review, it was just 21 votes short of the threshold for entry into the legislature.

The CEC voted to reallocate the parliamentary seats as follows: GERB-UDF - 66 seats, Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria - 36 seats; Vazrazhdane - 33 seats; Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)-New Beginning - 29 seats; Alliance for Rights and Freedoms - 19 seats; BSP – United Left - 19 seats; There Is Such a People - 17 seats; Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) - 11 seats; and Velichie - 10 seats.

A CEC decision announcing the names of the new MPs was also gazetted. 

Four new MPs were sworn in at the start of Friday's sitting of the National Assembly. Also on Friday, the CEC declared Ivan Ivanov of MECh and Stanislav Anastasov of MRF-New Beginning elected to the 51st National Assembly. Ivanov took the legislative seat which belonged to Iliyan Iliev, who earlier in the day relinquished his election. Anastasov regained entry to Parliament after earlier on Friday the legislature accepted the resignation of Taner Emin of the MRF-New Beginning. Anastasov was one of 16 MPs whose election was outlawed by the Constitutional Court on Thursday.

Commenting on the Constitutional Court's ruling in Parliament, politicians raised concerns about a potential conspiracy against the majority and the government. There were also warnings about the risk of destabilizing the country, calls for changes in electoral legislation, the annulment of the elections, and an end to the ongoing attacks on the Constitutional Court.

"When they talk about conspiracy and coup, they should not forget that they constructed the "assemblage" that changed the Constitution," President Rumen Radev said on Saturday. "In a way that led to a caretaker government, completely controlled by them," he added. "From there it led to some of the worst elections in history. And now they are blaming the Constitutional Court, which passed its decision unanimously, including their quota. The people they sent to that court also voted," the head of State said.