Nearly Half of Bulgarians Voted in Presidential Election by 17:00

Voter turnout was higher at 17:00 local time (EET) in Sunday's presidential election in Bulgaria compared to the 2011 voter for head of state, authorities say.

The activity was 44.83% at the time, up from the 38.76% in 2011, Central Election Commission (CEC) data shows.

Bulgarian lawmakers earlier this year made it compulsory to vote, and some pollsters have projected higher activity this year compared to all other races of the past several years.

As many as 3 063 732 had voted as of that hour, a CEC spokesperson has told Focus Radio.

Referendum stats suggest turnout at the three-point national poll was 39.15% of voters, or 2 675 768 people. The figure does not indicate activity for the three separate questions as results are calculated for each of them.

For the referendum results to take effect directly, turnout has to be at least as high as that of the last parliamentary elections, or 3 500 585. If the activity is above 20% of the electorate, however, Parliament will have to hold a debate and vote on the issue.