Bulgaria Parliament Seals Introduction of Mixed Electoral System

Bulgaria's Parliament has sealed the introduction of a mixed electoral system. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

Bulgaria's Parliament approved Tuesday the final changes in the Members of Parliament Act sealing the introduction of a mixed electoral system.

The introduction of majority representation elements in Bulgaria's proportional representation system was approved after a heated seven-hour debate on Tuesday, and a six-hour debate on Monday.

After on Monday the MPs voted to introduce majority election of 31 MPs - one from each of Bulgaria's 31 electoral districts, on Tuesday they decided that partial elections will be held every time any one of these 31 majority-elected Members of Parliament be removed from office.

Also, if one of these 31 MPs becomes a Minister after his election, his spot will be filled by the next candidate on the proportional ticket of the respective political party.

Bulgaria's MPs did not make any provisions as to who would fill the MP position if an independent MP of the 31 majority elected deputies became a Minister. According to most of the MPs this scenario was only theoretical.

The other major change in the Members of Parliament Act approved Monday was the introduction of an 8% threshold for entering Parliament for coalitions running in the elections. The Parliamentary threshold for coalitions so far was the same as that for individual political parties - 4% of the cast votes.

These electoral system changes have been supported by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) from the governing three-way coalition, and by the rightist opposition Order, Law, Justice party of MP Yane Yanev.

They have been fiercely opposed by the ruling National Movement for Stability and Progress of Bulgaria's former Tsar Simeon Saxe-Coburg, and by the rest of the right-wing opposition parties.

Bulgaria's President Georgi Parvanov, who was the BSP leader before getting elected to the Presidency, is expected to impose a veto. His veto, however, is only obliging the MPs to hold another reading on the changes, and cannot block them.

 

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