site.btaParliamentary Committee Backs at First Reading Bill to Change Referendum Rules

The parliamentary Committee on Direct Participation of Citizens, Citizens' Complaints and Interaction with Civil Society approved on first reading the bill to amend and supplement the Direct Citizen Participation in State and Local Government Act tabled by Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov and a group of MPs. The changes, which concern the procedure for initiating and proposing referendums, were supported by five votes in favour and three abstentions.

Vazrazhdane MP Dimitar Gyurev noted that the bill was tabled on December 12, 2024, and only now has the time come for it to be considered. Its goal is to simplify the procedure for holding a referendum and to expand the range of issues that can be put to a vote. The restriction on national referendums deciding on issues regulated in international treaties concluded by Bulgaria after their ratification is being removed. The threshold for signatures required to hold debates in the National Assembly will also be changed from 200,000 to 50,000. The number of signatures required to hold a mandatory national referendum will be changed from 400,000 to 100,000, Gyurev added.

Vazrazhdane MP Dimo Drenchev stated that the current law is highly restrictive. "Our party's policy is to move towards more frequent local and national referendums," he added.

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria MP Petar Kyosev said that it is important how the organizers will approach the information campaign for collecting signatures and holding referendums. In his words, a referendum is a tool that should not be abused by politicians. Kyosev said that referendums should not be used on all matters and cited Brexit as a negative example.

GERB-UDF MP and Chair of the Committee on Direct Participation of Citizens, Rositsa Kirova, shared that she has participated in civil initiatives for holding a referendum. She added: "What is preventing us and what we lack is adequate regulations on how to present the arguments 'in favour' and 'against' on a specific issue." She emphasized that adequate information campaigns are a must. Kirova said that she would back the bill, but that it needs to be refined before the second reading.

Velichie MP Stiliana Bobcheva said she supports the bill. She added: "We believe that the people should be consulted. This is an instrument of democracy that we must utilize."

Zahari Yankov, Chair of the Public Council to the Commission, called on MPs to reconsider their positions because, in his opinion, there has been no real public debate on the proposed bill. "A referendum is a good thing, but we must be very careful with it," he said. In his opinion, such a bill should be adopted by a stable National Assembly and proposed by the Council of Ministers, which would allow for a longer period of discussion.