site.btaCommunist-Era Secret Police Files Committee to Get Specific Information on Election Candidates When Registered

The parliamentary Committee on Internal Security and Public Order Thursday approved unanimously on second reading by a vote of 13 in favour draft legislation requiring specific information on election candidates to be submitted upon registration to the Communist-Era Secret Police Files Committee. The National Assembly Committee acted without debate.

The bill to amend the Act on Access to, and Disclosure of, Documents and Announcing Bulgarian Citizens' Affiliation with State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army has been moved by Martin Dimitrov MP of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and a group of lawmakers.

According to the revisions, the commissions registering election candidates will be required to submit to the Committee for Disclosing Documents and Announcing Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian National Army the candidates' personal identification number, full name, and party, coalition or independent-candidate-nomination committee that is fielding them. Under the previous version of the law, the election commissions were only required to submit the lists of candidates to the Committee for a check within 24 hours of registration.