Nationalists Ask Voting Ban on Bulgarians with Dual Citizenship

The leader of the far-right, nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov. Photo by BGNES

Bulgarians with dual citizenship should be banned from voting in elections in the country, according to a proposal for amendments to the Election Code.

The Proposal was submitted by Members of the Parliament from the far-right, nationalist Ataka party.

Currently, Bulgarians with dual citizenship are not allowed to run for MPs, mayors, municipal councilors and for president.

If the proposal is passed, a large number of Bulgarian Muslim immigrants to Turkey, and many other Bulgarians living abroad will be deprived of voting rights.

Ataka label people with dual citizenship "traitors," which is the grounds for requesting the ban.

Volen Siderov's party further wants to ban the release of sociological polls during the 30-day election campaigning. The results could be used by parties' headquarters and candidates, but not for insinuations among voters, and demotivate them to go to the polls, says Ataka's Deputy Chairman, Desislav Tchukolov.

The nationalists also demand a clause mandating all candidates to announce their sexual orientation and membership in "secret" organizations.

"Voters have the right to know these details because this would be a warranty that those elected would not be dependent on anything else, but the will of the people," the motives read.

Ataka request free reporting on election campaigning by the State-owned Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, and Bulgarian National Television, BNT, while all remaining media should offer 80% discount from their regular advertisement price lists.

The nationalist MPs propose to have video cameras inside polls to broadcast the election process in real time and to introduce automatic (machine) voting to prevent ballot manipulation. The latter proposal is backed by the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP.

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