Another delay proposed for the creation of electoral district ''Abroad''

The Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs debated at second reading the draft amendments to the Election Code during a session that lasted more than fourteen hours.

Lawmakers approved the introduction of new voting machines equipped with scanning devices. The machines and their software will be owned by the state. If it proves impossible to provide the machines on time, the next parliamentary elections will be held under the current provisions of the Election Code.

The majority decided to postpone the creation of a special electoral district “Abroad” by two years—it is to be established as of January 1, 2028. In countries outside the EU, only up to 20 polling stations may be opened outside consulates and diplomatic missions, which will significantly limit the number of voters in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States, writes dnevnik.bg.

The majority also ruled that voter lists will no longer be compiled using data from the Civil Registration and Administrative Services General Directorate (GRAO), but will instead be based on the 2021 census, BTA reports.

The draft amendments to the Electoral Code are yet to be debated at second reading in the plenary hall.  

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov