Bulgarians Abroad to Vote in 720 Polling Stations for Upcoming Elections

The deadline for submitting advance applications to vote abroad in the upcoming early parliamentary elections on October 27 has passed. Approximately 720 polling stations are expected to be opened outside Bulgaria, with the final number to be determined by the Central Election Commission. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Elena Shekerletova announced that over 150 of these stations will have voting machines. This was shared during a meeting on election preparations led by Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.

The Central Election Commission has already received the voting machines, and their authentication process is currently underway, according to a government press release.

In the previous early parliamentary elections held in June, 769 polling stations were set up abroad. The majority were in Turkey with 166 stations, followed by the United Kingdom with 118, and Germany with 103.

The deadline for Bulgarians abroad to apply for the opening of polling stations expired at midnight on October 1. According to the law, polling stations abroad are primarily opened in Bulgaria's diplomatic and consular offices, but additional stations can be established in locations where at least 40 applications have been submitted in advance. The submission of an application is not mandatory for voting but can streamline the process if enough voters gather at the designated stations.