site.bta2021-2026 Central Election Commission Holds Last Meeting

Bulgaria's Central Election Commission (CEC), appointed in 2021, completed its five-year term by holding its last meeting on Monday, the Commission said in a press release.

The CEC expressed gratitude for the cooperation with government institutions, constituency and municipal election commission, the Public Council and the media, and wished the newly appointed lineup successful and fruitful work.

This lineup of the Commission took office on May 12, 2021 under a decree signed by then President Rumen Radev on May 10, 2021. The 15-member CEC consisted of Chairperson Kameliya Neykova (nominated by There Is Such a People (TISP)), Deputy Chairpersons Dimitar Dimitrov (GERB), Emil Voynov (Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP)), Rositsa Mateva (Rise Up! Thugs Out!), Tsvetozar Tomov (Democratic Bulgaria (DB)), Secretary Sevintch Solakova (Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)), and members Georgi Bahanov (GERB), Elka Stoyanova (TISP), Erhan Chaushev (MRF), Yordanka Gancheva (GERB), Krasimir Tsipov (GERB), Lyubomir Gavrilov (TISP, replaced by Gergana Stoyanova in 2021), Ljubomir Georgiev (DB), Silviya Stoytcheva (BSP), and Tsvetanka Georgieva (BSP).

During its tenure the CEC organized and held a total of ten national elections: seven parliamentary elections (all extraordinary, on July 11, 2021, November 14, 2021, October 2, 2022, April 2, 2023, June 9, 2024, October 27, 2024, and April 19, 2026), two-round presidential elections (November 14 and 21, 2021), two-round local elections (October 29 and November 5, 2023), and European Parliament elections (June 9, 1924). Along with that, a total of 174 byelections and new elections of local authorities were held over the last five years.

The new complement of CEC will take over on June 23, 2026 under a decree on their appointment, signed by President Iliana Iotova on June 15, 2026 and gazetted on June 19, 2026.