site.btaCentral Election Commission Determines Locations and Number of Polling Stations Abroad for October 25 Presidential Election

The Central Election Commission (CEC) adopted a decision determining the locations and number of polling stations to be opened abroad for the presidential election on October 25.

The largest number of polling stations will be in the United Kingdom, with 82, followed by Turkiye with 78. Germany will have 70 polling stations, Spain 67 and the United States 44.

Some polling stations are subject to the condition that approval from the host country is obtained by October 22 at the latest. This applies to polling stations in Italy and China, all polling stations outside diplomatic and consular missions in Norway, and the polling station in Leoben, Austria.

The CEC’s decision states that the German authorities allow, as an exception, polling stations to be established outside diplomatic and consular missions, but only at designated addresses. Polling stations are permitted in locations where voting also took place in April 2026, but not in all locations that meet the requirements of the Election Code.

Three polling stations will be established in Czechia, all at the Bulgarian Embassy in Prague. According to a diplomatic note received from the host country, polling stations may only be opened at diplomatic missions.

No polling stations will be opened on the Greek island of Thasos or in Hanioti, Halkidiki. The Bulgarian Consulate General in Thessaloniki said these locations are mainly visited by Bulgarian citizens during the peak summer tourist season, while only five and two applications to vote, respectively, had been submitted. In Spain, no polling station will be opened in Archidona, where no applications had been submitted. The CEC said in its decision that it had fully taken into account the reasoned proposals submitted by the Foreign Ministry.

No polling station will be established in Saint Petersburg either. The Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow expressed concerns related to the suspension of diplomatic presence in the city, the lack of a guarantee that permission would be obtained from the host country and security risks. Bulgarian citizens who have expressed a wish to vote there may be added to the list of voters for the polling station at the embassy in Moscow, the decision states.

Additional polling stations are planned in Barcelona and Dimitrovgrad (Tsaribrod) due to the high workload at the existing polling stations. In France, the polling stations in Marignane and Marseille will be merged under the name Marseille/Marignane because of the proximity of the two locations.

The decision may be appealed before the Supreme Administrative Court within three days of its publication.