Bulgaria's Biggest Party Tables Draft Electoral Code

The party of outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has submitted the draft of a new Electoral Code that provides for a switch of Bulgaria's voting system.

The text has been created by GERB lawmakers Danail Kirilov and Dimitar Lazarov.

It constitutes yet another attempt of the main ruling party - the senior partner in the outgoing coalition government - to pass a change of the electoral system, from one of proportional representation to majority voting. On Wednesday, lawmakers postponed the review of a bill that would have introduced first-past-the-post voting.

Under the proposals, 240 single-seat constituencies will be created (Bulgaria's legislature has 240 seats), all of them being in Bulgaria.

Expats will be able to use machine voting or cast a ballot online but also do so on paper. Their votes, however, will not go to a specific constituency, but to the one in Bulgaria where their permanent address of residence is located.

Active registration will also be kept for Bulgarians abroad willing to vote.
 
A second round will be envisaged in which the two candidates winning the biggest share of the vote in a constituency will vie for the seat, daily 24 Chasa quotes Kirilov as saying.

It will be up to Bulgaria's President to draw up the new constituencies.

Kirilov has said he will demand an extraordinary session of the Legal Affairs Committee, which is to review the draft code before it goes to Parliament's floor.

The move comes days before Parliament is to be dissolved after President-elect Rumen Radev takes up office.