During the week between the first and the second round of the presidential elections in Bulgaria, there is resentment in the air over apprehensions regarding the counting of ballots cast in the national referendum on the electoral system. Responding to accusations that the referendum results had been manipulated, rigged or some such thing, the Central Election Commission (CEC) stated it had not yet released any official referendum results and would do so on Friday, after an analysis of the discrepancies brought to public attention. But even before any official announcement has been made, the leading political forces declared that even if it were proven that the number of ballots cast in the referendum was not enough to make the referendum results mandatory for parliament, they would support the results.

That this should be happening at this point in time is well worth analyzing. Prior to the 6 November elections, the major parties displayed no interest in the referendum or the campaign connected with the questions it raises, with just two political formations represented in parliament registering at the CEC for this campaign – the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival (ABV) and the Civic Alliance for Real Democracy (GORD). Before the referendum, no party stood up to address apprehensions that voting in the referendum could be dangerous, as the questions it poses cannot possibly have a single answer. Yet now they have their eyes firmly fixed on the answers given because it would be dangerous to ignore the high level of public support for: a majority voting system for MPs in two rounds, compulsory voting at elections and referendums and reducing party subsidies down from 11 to 1 Lev for each valid vote – the three questions on the referendum ballot.

With such an unusual turn of events, now the rivals in the presidential runoff – the ruling party GERB and the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) – have taken a position on the referendum results that is, to all intents and purposes, the same. GERB is discussing whether to comply fully with its results or to hold a discussion on the matter. Asked to give his reasons for such a decision, GERB party leader Boyko Borissov simply said: Vox populi, vox dei.  The BSP’s rationale is no different – the socialist party declared it would submit proposals for amendments to the election code on all three referendum questions. Neither party is denying it has its own reservations with regard to how much the subsidies for political parties should be slashed but, for the time being, they have not been giving the matter much scrutiny. And this stands to reason – what matters most at this time is the presidential runoff; and anyway, on Friday the CEC just might release official numbers that clear the threshold making the referendum results mandatory.

Whichever way the issue may turn from now on, the fact that it has come up at all is an indication of mounting tensions in Bulgarian society, not tensions among political parties, but tensions between them and society as a whole. By the way they have been reacting, the parties in Bulgaria are demonstrating they are aware of this and are not averse to change. The question is what kind of change and at what cost.

English version: Milena Daynova