Bulgarians in Scotland and Northern Ireland: New rules make it difficult to vote

The early parliamentary elections on April 19 for Bulgarian citizens in non-EU countries will be held in up to 20 polling stations outside diplomatic and consular representations. This was decided by the MPs after they overcame the presidential veto on the changes to the Electoral Code. Head of State Iliana Iotova imposed the veto on February 5, on the grounds that the changes put at risk the constitutional principle of universality of the electoral right.

The change to the Electoral Code, achieved with the votes of 126 members of parliament, comes just 53 days before the vote, as the parliament once again disregards the recommendations of the Venice Commission not to make major changes to this law less than a year before the vote.

Parliament rejects President Iliana Iotova’s first veto

Former CEC Chair Alexander Andreev saw dominance of political over legal arguments in the debates before the vote. According to him, limiting voters' right to vote with the presumption that they would only vote for a certain party is not normal:

"This cannot be a solid argument when we are talking about all countries outside the EU and we saw that it was specifically aimed at Türkiye. But at the same time, the right to vote was limited in other countries where the Bulgarian communities are not small - the USA, UK, etc. We put Bulgarian citizens in the EU and outside it in an unequal position, as the reduction in the number of sections led to impossibility of exercising the vote. This discrimination cannot exist between Bulgarian citizens," Andreev told the Bulgarian National Radio. According to him, the parliament has laid pitfalls in the law that would be used by those dissatisfied with the elections because the impossibility of exercising equal rights by all Bulgarian citizens automatically means that the vote can be challenged on this basis.

The adopted changes to the election rules postpone the formation of a multi-mandate electoral district "Abroad" - something that our compatriots abroad have been insisting on for years and President Iliana Iotova had included it in the decree issued a few days ago, which determines the numbering and names of the electoral districts for holding early parliamentary elections on April 19, 2026. Now the opportunity for Bulgarians abroad to have their own representatives in the Bulgarian parliament is postponed by two years. The question is how all this would affect the desire of Bulgarian compatriots to demonstrate civic activity and exercise their constitutional right to vote:

"Our idea was that if there were directly elected MPs to represent Bulgarians abroad, activity and representativeness would increase," recalls Bulgarian Nelly Olova who lives in Edinburgh. "We thought that they would be people who would communicate more with us and take care of the interests and needs of the diaspora. In addition, we were also fighting for electronic voting."

If the Scottish section remains only in Edinburgh, it will be like in the 2021 elections, when over 1,000 people voted in the city, recalls election volunteer Nelly Olova. This means big crowds, long waiting and an extension of election day.

The option to choose voting with a paper ballot or by using machine will be available in all polling stations in the country,
except for those in which there were less than 300 voters in the previous elections, as well as when voting in a mobile ballot box, in polling stations in medical institutions and social institutions. Machine voting abroad will be available in polling stations for which more than 300 citizens have submitted an application to vote. By March 24, Bulgarian citizens who have the right to vote and wish to vote abroad should declare this by means of a written application using a template or by an electronic application via the CEC website. The number of applications submitted, in addition to affecting the possibility of having a voting machine in a given polling station, will seriously facilitate the process on election day, the need to fill out declarations on election day will be avoided and this will reduce the time voters will have to wait in line. In this regard, Nelly Olova also calls for an increase in the number of members in election commissions abroad:

"Something we would like and it probably depends on the CEC, is to increase the number of commission members to 9 people. Especially for Edinburgh, where there is a consulate, we have talked about an option with a 9-member commission and they support this. We hope that the embassy will also support this and that this issue will be raised for the sections in other cities."

I am very disappointed by limiting the number of sections, as this hinders our constitutional right to vote, says Bulgarian Nina Georgieva, who has been living in the town of Enniskillen in Northern Ireland for many years and also has experience as a volunteer in conducting elections for the Bulgarian parliament outside the country. According to her, however, the problem is not only in the number of sections or how Bulgarians would vote:

"We have problems in the Electoral Code in general, as our population is distributed by districts, while those living there are no longer the same number of people as 10 or 15 years ago. On the other hand, the zoning has not been changed and there are districts where an MP can be elected with very few votes, as well as others where thousands of votes are needed. In my opinion, the methodology should be reviewed, based on the population census."

Nina Georgieva is a former teacher who lived in regions in Bulgaria with a mixed population, i.e. in which there are ethnic Bulgarians and Turks. Her first year as a teacher coincided with the mass exodus of Bulgarian citizens of Turkish origin, which began in June 1989. The disappearance of half of her class overnight left a lasting impression on her mind. She shares that the unwillingness of the rulers in Bulgaria to consult citizens on issues that directly affect them distinguishes her homeland from the place where she lives today – Northern Ireland.

Nina Georgieva also told us that disappointment at the restriction of the right to vote for Bulgarian citizens has also been expressed by the newly appointed Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Dr. Robert Eadie.

"Our honorary consul joined the group of election volunteers here and started discussing with us the idea of ​​setting up polling stations on the border with the Republic of Ireland so that these people could still have the opportunity to vote. It's a bit funny and sad when foreigners try to do whatever they can to help Bulgarians more than our politicians do."

See also:

Daniel Djenev from Chicago: New voting restrictions make no sense

Déjàvu: Fewer polling stations and more obstacles for Bulgarians voting abroad

Bulgarian citizens in Türkiye call for greater political engagement