Bulgaria Election Commission Shuns Latest UDF Registration Shot

Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CEC) failed to reach a decision regarding the saga with the UDF registration for the upcoming EP elections.

On Tuesday Bulgaria's Supreme Administrative Court revoked the European elections registration of former Union of Democratic forces (UDF) leader, Plamen Yurukov.

The Supreme Administrative Court cited as motive the contradiction between the CEC decision and the Elections of Members of the European Parliament Act.

CEC had not fully fulfilled its duties because they formally accepted Yurukov's documents, but failed to consider the UDF new leadership, elected by the party's National Council, which is a legitimate and registered body, the Supreme Court stated.

The Supreme Court's decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Despite that the former UDF Secretary, Plamen Radonov, submitted late Tuesday, after the news about the Court's decision, a new application with CEC to register UDF under his name as Chair.

The application was submitted about half an hour after the deadline to register parties and coalitions with CEC for the European Parliament (EP) elections. The deadline was 7:00 pm on May 12.

CEC discussed Wednesday if they should reject the documents because they were submitted after the deadline or because they were incomplete, but failed to reach a decision due to the lack of the required 2/3 quorum.

The lack of a CEC decision makes the saga even murkier since it is not clear if Yurukov can now appeal anything before the Court.

On April 30, after the Sofia City Court rejected the registration of the new leadership of UDF, former UDF leader, Plamen Yurukov, submitted documents for the party's solo running in the upcoming elections for European Parliament.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) approved the documents and registered Yurukov's UDF on May 10.

Martin Dimitrov and the new UDF leadership were elected in December 2008, after Yurukov, himself, firmly declared he would not run for the Party's top position.

UDF, led by Dimitrov, decided months ago to run in the upcoming European and local parliamentary elections in coalition with the other rightist opposition party - the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) and their leader, Ivan Kostov.

Dimitrov's UDF recently suspended Yurukov's and Radonov's party membership.

The issue of the registration of UDF as part of the so-called "Blue Coalition" between Kostov and Dimitrov also remains unresolved.

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