site.btaVelichie Supports Presidential Veto as Election Code Revisions Affect Rights of Bulgarian Citizens Abroad

Parliament Wednesday rejected President Iliana Iotova's veto on amendments to the Election Code, which slash the number of polling stations in Bulgarian elections in non-EU countries. Ahead of the vote, Velichie MP Stiliana Bobcheva said that her parliamentary group would back the veto, which gives the National Assembly an opportunity to reconsider its responsibility to the fundamental principles of the constitutional order.

The Velichie party has expressed serious concerns that the adopted amendments introduce restrictions that affect the rights of Bulgarian citizens abroad. According to Bobcheva, the Constitution does not distinguish between "closer" and "more distant" citizens, and the sovereign is one and indivisible. "Restricting the ability of our compatriots abroad to vote calls into question the principle of equality," the MP emphasized. According to the parliamentary group, the changes, made at the last minute and without sufficient public debate, create a risk to legal certainty and undermine confidence in the electoral process.

Addressing Parliament, she noted that the debate should return to its constitutional essence, beyond the strong political charge. "The history of statehood teaches us that the rules by which power is elected are often more important than the power itself. When the law begins to serve the convenience of the moment, it loses its moral weight," she said.