The recommendations of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the ones of the Venice Commission reading that the Election Code should not change for at least one year prior to the voting were not taken into account and the National Assembly adopted the new Election Code last Friday. The majority at the Bulgarian Parliament disagreed with the recommendations, saying that the elections for European Parliament can not be held in line with the Election Code adopted by the former ruling GERB party. It became clear this week that only three months before the start of the European Elections there are heavy disputes between the political parties and the political experts in Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the new Election Code is a huge step forward as compared to the previous one and the preferences implemented in the new Election Code allow citizens to vote for the first time for personalities through rearranging the candidates’ tickets. The new code also envisages a strict control during the printing of the ballot-papers and their distribution to the polling stations, thus hampering all chances for controlled voting.

However, the rightist political space is of a completely different opinion. GERB party does not agree with the statement of the socialists that people will be able to vote for the first time for personalities. On the contrary, it claims that the new code provides opportunities for controlled vote. The Reformist Block does not find any majority element in the new Election Code, stating that the serial number of the ballot-papers does not guarantee secrecy of the vote.

Experts are commenting that the new Election Code missed to provide opportunities for a professional electoral administration and that the Central Electoral Commission will be again formed by political quotas. Thus, the members of CEC will be nominated by the political parties represented at the Bulgarian National Assembly and the European Parliament which means that the current proportion between the political parties will remain in the next five years.

A possible veto imposed by President Plevneliev over the new Election Code also provokes many tense disputes. The socialists admit that such a move is very likely to happen, because the new Election Code has deprived the Bulgarian President from some of his authorities linked with the appointment of the Central Electoral Commission. The Bulgarian Socialist Party is expecting that a possible Presidential veto will be imposed within 8 days after the adoption of the new Election Code, so it does not block the coming procedures. The Presidential administration, however, expressed discontent that such expectations exert a political pressure over the Bulgarian head of state, because he has 15 whole days to make this decision. Within this context, assertions in the Bulgarian media read that some experts are considering changes to the previous Election Code, provided the new one fails to enter into force before the Elections for European Parliament. The socialists said in return that everything was planned well and the new Election code had to be adopted by last Friday, so it could enter into force on time.

Bulgaria is only three months away from the European Elections in May and some political parties have to hurry up adapting their political campaign to the new Election Code. The latter applies especially to those who have never run for European elections. The governing Bulgarian Socialist Party has already forecasted that it would succeed in sending six or seven MEPs to the European Parliament. It also said that the independent ticket of the newly-formed civil initiative ABV would not be able to send even a single MEP and that GERB party would not have more MEPs. Time will show whether these forecasts will turn right. One thing is for sure now. The political dispute will be very tense.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov