Information Campaign for N-Plant Referendum Launched in Bulgaria

The information campaign for the forthcoming referendum on Bulgaria's nuclear energy future was launched in the country on Thursday.

The referendum, scheduled for January 27, 2013, asks Bulgarian voters whether they would like their country to develop nuclear energy by creating new nuclear units.

Two entities will attempt to convince voters to back the development of nuclear energy through building new nuclear units. One of them will be an initiative committee formed by the oppositional Bulgarian Socialist Party, while the other consists of 76 lawmakers from the ruling centrist-right GERB.

Two initiative committees formed by two right-wing formations – the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and the United People's Party – will try to persuade people to vote against/

The question posed to Bulgarian citizens will be "Should nuclear energy be developed in Bulgaria through the construction of new nuclear power units?"

The specific cause for the convocation of a referendum is the unclear fate of frozen Belene Nuclear Power Plant project.

The referendum was sponsored by the Bulgarian Socialist Party, which gathered a petition of more than the 0.5 M legally needed signatures.

The poll was backed by ruling GERB party, which however via its MPs edited the referendum question, omitting a specific reference to the Belene project.

The referendum needs little less than 4.35 M votes cast to be valid.

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