Bulgarian Deputy Parliament Speaker Optimistic on 2 in 1 Elections

Bulgarian Parliament’s Deputy Speaker, and member of the right-wing DSB party, Ekaterina Mihaylova, informs all amendments of the Elections Act will be completed by the end of the year. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

There are very strong signs Bulgarian Members of the Parliament will reach an agreement to hold the upcoming 2011 local and presidential elections in one day, the Parliament’s Deputy Speaker, Ekaterina Mihaylova, says.

Mihaylova, who is also a member of the temporary Committee for the Preparation of the new Election Act, spoke Saturday during her visit to the city of Shumen, saying radical changes in the election legislation are not to be expected and the voting system and the number of municipal councilmen will remain the same.

The Deputy Speaker, however, explained majority candidates will be eliminated over the controversy they stirred during the last elections and there will be a preferential vote for both the European Parliament and the Bulgarian one. What is new for the local elections is the mandate that candidates registered with the Central Electoral Commission have participation in at least 50 municipalities in order to avoid business-based alliances and assure every candidate have national-level significance.

The registration must be done at least 3 months before Election Day while now the law requires 40 days. Mihaylova pointed out that her right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party is fighting to annul the right of candidates to have immunity during election campaigns, but added all these changes are pending and yet to be ironed out. She promised all amendments will be agreed on by the end of the year.

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