site.btaCalls for Presidential Veto Mount after Election Code Cap on Overseas Polling Stations

Calls mounted on Friday for President Iliana Iotova to veto newly adopted Election Code amendments capping the number of polling stations outside Bulgarian diplomatic and consular missions in non-EU countries at 20, as parties and public figures clashed over whether the change restricts Bulgarians abroad or simply standardizes voting arrangements.

The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and Yes, Bulgaria urged a presidential veto, warning the cap would again produce long travel and day-long queues for voters in large diaspora communities, and arguing the move is politically motivated. BSP-United Left, while acknowledging the veto procedure is still ahead, said no constitutional rights are being violated and insisted Bulgarian citizens should be treated equally regardless of where they reside, including with the same limits applying across non-EU destinations. Former president Rumen Radev also weighed in, describing the amendments as a restriction of democratic rights and urging citizens to defend their vote.

Parliament on Thursday conclusively adopted the amendments after a marathon sitting, approving the Vazrazhdane-proposed text limiting the number of such polling stations in non-EU countries. The Thursday sitting also included final votes on amendments to the Cybersecurity Act, which Alliance for Rights and Freedoms said should likewise be reviewed if they affect end users.

“The President should review the adopted changes and impose a veto,” Alliance for Rights and Freedoms MP Dzheyhan Ibryamov said.

“Every Bulgarian citizen has the right to exercise their vote, regardless of where they live. We do not divide Bulgarians according to the countries in which they reside,” BSP-United Left Deputy Floor Leader Maya Dimitrova said. “If there is no presidential veto, the amendments will enter into force as part of the Election Code,” she added.

“Unfortunately, what we will see again are the queues in the United Kingdom that we witnessed for years – people traveling two or three hours to reach a polling station and then standing in line for half a day just to cast their vote. This is an insult to Bulgarians abroad – those who send around EUR 3 billion to Bulgaria and deserve at least the opportunity to vote,” Yes, Bulgaria co-Chair Ivaylo Mirchev said. He argued the measure is being pushed because [Movement for Rights and Freedoms Chair] Delyan Peevski “does not want votes from abroad to influence the outcome in Bulgaria, because votes are harder to buy there”.

“The political status quo has decided to restrict the ability of our compatriots abroad to vote. This is yet another step in its attempts to preserve its power by limiting democratic rights," former president Rumen Radev wrote. “The decision of the parliament also exposes any claim that it is trying to preserve and strengthen the ties and sense of community with Bulgarians abroad. But elections are coming. It is up to us to reclaim our rights. To defend democracy,” he added.

Central Election Committee Deputy Chair Rositsa Mateva also addressed the issue in a television appearance on Friday. Mateva said that the 20-section cap mainly affects Bulgarian voters in Turkiye, the United States and the United Kingdom. “Deciding where these polling stations should be will be more difficult. That decision lies with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the heads of Bulgaria’s diplomatic and consular missions,” Mateva said. “The legislator decides what rule changes to introduce; in this case, we implement them,” she added.

Mateva also reiterated CEC’s position that any new voting technology should be introduced gradually and tested first.