Bulgarian MP Quarrels Halt New Election Code Debates

The building of the Bulgarian Parliament in downtown Sofia, file photo

A scandal has led Tuesday to the disruption of second reading debates of Bulgaria's new draft Election Code in the respective Committee.

Darik radio reported that the 3-hour-long debates ended fruitless over non-stop quarrels and arguing among the Committee's members.

The above prompted 2 Members of the Parliament from the formerly-ruling opposition centrist Citizens for European Development of Bulgarian party (GERB) and of 1 from the ruling left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) to leave in indignation, which has prompted the adjourning of the meeting.

The Committee's Chair, Maya Manolova, who is a Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and MP from BSP, stressed that with the latest all deadlines would be missed and the upcoming European elections will have to be conducted under the old code, which she sees as seriously flawed.

Manolova also left in indignation and it remains unclear when and if a new session will be scheduled.

Earlier during the meeting, representatives of Bulgarian diaspora also voiced strong criticism of the new Election Code saying it deprived them once again of their constitutional voting rights.

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