Elections: Finance Minister Assen Vassilev's Vote was Denied in Haskovo

Finance Minister Assen Vassilev's vote was denied in Haskovo because of the lack of residency in the country. Vassilev arrived at noon on Saturday at the 28th polling station in Haskovo to exercise his right to vote.

It transpired that he was included in the so-called "ban list". He and people accompanying him from the local headquarters of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) went to the local municipality to get documents that would allow him to vote without making public statements.

Municipal Commission Chair Dobromir Yakov said at a briefing that the Central Election Commission's (CEC) refusal was justified. A check showed that Vassilev's current address since the year 2000 is in the US, he explained. So far, there is no evidence that this address has been changed or is inactive, Yakimov added.

Asked how that could be corrected, Yakimov replied that Vassilev must provide evidence to the Civil Registration and Administrative Services Department that this data is not correct and that he was wrongly included on the ban list with a document from the United States. He should further obtain a certificate under Article 40 of the Election Code and certify that he has not voted and will not vote elsewhere.

However, the rule is that both the current and permanent address must be in Bulgaria, and at least one must be in the municipality where the vote is cast, Yakimov added.

According to him, the refusal of the CEC can be appealed to the Municipal Election Commission, which decides immediately, and the last instance is the CEC.

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