REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS AND MAYORS A C T
Promulgated State Gazette No. 69/22.08.1991
Amended SG 70, 76 & 98/1991; 66/1995
Chapter One
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 1
This Act shall establish the manner of election of Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors, and the procedure for the termination of their terms of office.
Article 2
(1) The election shall be conducted on the basis of general, equal and direct suffrage by a secret ballot.
(2) The following shall be eligible to elect and to be elected: all citizens of the Republic of Bulgaria aged 18 or older, except those placed under judicial interdiction or serving a prison sentence.
(3) The following shall be eligible to elect municipal councillors and mayors: the residents of the municipality, respectively the community, and any other citizens registered as residing within the respective territory at least two months before voting day.
Article 3
(1) The following shall be eligible to be elected to the National Assembly: any citizen of the Republic of Bulgaria who does not hold another citizenship, is aged 21 or older, is not under a judicial interdiction, and is not serving a prison sentence.
(2) The following shall be eligible to be elected a municipal councillor or mayor: any citizen of the Republic of Bulgaria aged 18 or older who is not under a judicial interdiction, is not serving a prison sentence, and is a registered as residing within the municipality, respectively the community, at least two months before voting day.
Article 4 (1) Each voter shall be entitled to one vote for a Member of the National Assembly, one vote for a municipal councillor, one vote for a mayor of the municipality and one vote for a mayor of the community.
(2) The vote of any voter shall be equal to the vote of any other voter.
Article 5
(1) Members of the National Assembly shall be elected by the proportional representation formula on the basis of fixed lists of nominees of parties, independent candidates, coalitions of parties, and coalitions of parties with independent candidates, in each electoral district.
(2) Municipal councillors shall be elected by the proportional representation formula on the basis of fixed lists of nominees of parties, independent candidates, coalitions of parties, and coalitions of parties with independent candidates, in each municipality, which shall amount to a multimember electoral district.
(3) A municipal mayor shall be elected directly by the voters in the municipality.
(4) A community mayor shall be elected directly by the voters in the community.
Article 6
(1) The elections shall be conducted on one single non-working day in the entire country.
(2) The President of the Republic of Bulgaria shall set and announce the date for the election of Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors at least 50 days in advance.
Article 7
(1) The organizational and technical preparation of the election shall be assigned to the Council of Ministers, the interim executive committees and the interim local authorities.
(2) The cost of organizing the election and the technical costs shall be covered by the state within the allocations from the state budget.
(3) All papers, applications, grievances, certificates and any other documents issued pursuant to this Act shall be exempt from stamp duty.
Chapter Two
REGISTRIES OF VOTERS Section I
For the Election of Members of the National Assembly
Article 8
The election shall be conducted on the basis of two registries of voters - one for Members of the National Assembly, and one for municipal councillors and mayors.
Article 9
The voter registries shall be drawn up in the municipalities and communities which maintain registries of the population and shall be signed by the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of the interim executive committee, respectively by the mayor and the secretary of the interim local authority.
Article 10
(1) Generals (admirals), officers, NCOs and other hired employees of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria shall be entered in the voter registry at their place of residence according to their address registration prior to election day.
(2) Voters doing their military service shall be registered by the interim executive committee only in the voter registry for the election of Members of the National Assembly of the electoral section nearest to the military unit.
(3) The list of voters doing their military service shall be drawn up under the control of their commanding officer who shall sign it and send it to the respective interim executive committee for its inclusion in the voter registries of the municipality or community on the territory of which the unit is located at least 35 days prior to election day.
Article 11
(1) Bulgarian citizens residing permanently or temporarily abroad shall be entered in voter registries prepared at the diplomatic representations of the Republic of Bulgaria at their express personal request to vote. The act of voting shall be marked in their overseas passports.
(2) The citizens as per the above Paragraph who are in this country on polling day shall be entered into the voter registries in the country at their express personal request to vote. The act of voting shall be marked in their overseas passports.
Article 12
(1) A separate voter registry shall be drawn up for each electoral section. (2) The names of all voters registered as residents of the territory of a municipality or community at least two months prior to election day shall be entered in a voter registry.
(3) The names of voters residing temporarily on the territory of a municipality or community, if registered as residents at least 60 days prior to election day shall also be entered in a voter registry. An interim executive committee or interim local authority where voters thus registered reside temporarily shall notify accordingly the municipality or community of their permanent residence, in order that they be struck off the corresponding voter registries.
(4) The name of any person who meets the requirements of paras 2 and 3 and on election day shall complete 18 years of age, and of any person whose prison sentence or judicial interdiction shall expire prior to election day shall also be entered in a voter registry.
(5) A voter registry shall list by address the three names, place and date of birth and Personal Identity Code Number (EGN) of each voter. It shall further list any former name of a community, street, precinct, residential development or street number changed within the 6 months preceding election day.
(6) Each voter shall be entered in only one voter registry.
(7) The names of persons who by election day have become disfranchised or deceased shall be deleted from voter registries.
Article 13
(1) Voter registries shall be made public by the interim executive committees and the interim local authorities at least 30 days prior to election day.
(2) An interim executive committee or interim local authority shall make available against a charge a copy of its voter registries requested by any political party.
Article 14
(1) Voters shall be entitled to request corrections to the voter registry to the effect of adding or deleting a voter's name, or the elimination of other errors and omissions from the registry.
(2) Such requests shall be addressed orally or in writing to the interim executive committee or interim local authority which shall issue a motivated ruling on the request within three days.
(3) The requesting party shall be free to appeal the ruling before the district court, which shall review the appeal within three days at a public session to which the appealing party and a representative of the interim executive committee or interim local authority shall be summoned, and shall announce its ruling immediately. The court's ruling shall be considered final. (4) Any correction in a voter registry shall be made public forthwith.
Article 15
A licence to vote elsewhere shall be issued only to a candidate for the National Assembly, a candidate's aide, an observer, a member of an electoral commission or of a nomination committee of an independent candidate, and to any other person engaged in the conducting of the election. A licence to vote elsewhere shall be signed by the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of the issuing municipal council and shall be recorded in a special registry. The recipient of such a licence shall depose an affidavit that he shall vote in only one place.
Article 16
The originals of the voter registries and all other election-related materials shall be placed until the next election in the safekeeping of the newly elected municipal council. Prior to its constitution, they shall be in the safekeeping of the authority responsible for having them drawn up.
Article 17
Voter registries in hospitals, maternity wards, sanitariums and holiday homes, and homes for the disabled and the aged, and on board vessels at sea under a Bulgarian flag shall be drawn up by the manager of the institution, respectively the vessel's captain, on the basis of a paper of identification (passport). The manager of the institution, respectively the vessel's captain shall notify accordingly the interim executive committees or interim local authorities where these voters are registered as permanent residents, in order that they be struck off the corresponding voter registries. New arrivals at such institutions on election day shall not be entered in their voter registry and shall not vote.
Section II
For The Election Of Municipal Councillors And Mayor
Article 18
(1) The election of municipal councillors and mayor shall be conducted on the basis of separate voter registries drawn up by the interim executive committees and interim local authorities.
(2) The persons listed in Art. 2 para 3 of this Act shall be entered in these registries.
Article 19
(1) These registries shall not list Bulgarian citizens residing abroad, or persons doing their military service, or the Bulgarian crew members of vessels under a Bulgarian flag located outside the country. (2) No licences to vote elsewhere shall be issued.
(3) In a second round election for a mayor, a voter registry shall be updated to include the names of any enfranchised persons in between the two rounds.
Article 20
The provisions of the preceding Section I shall apply to any matter not settled in this Section.
Chapter Three
ELECTORAL DISTRICTS
Section I
For the Election of Members of the National Assembly
Article 21
(1) For the purpose of electing the Members of the National Assembly, the country shall be divided into 31 electoral districts, including 3 in the city of Sofia and 2 in the former Plovdiv District. The borders of the other electoral districts shall coincide with the borders of the former administrative districts.
(2) The President of the Republic of Bulgaria shall establish by decree the borders, names and numbers of the electoral districts and shall endorse the electoral papers at least 50 days prior to election day.
(3) The Central Elections Commission shall apportion the seats among the electoral districts at least 40 days prior to election day on the basis of a uniform ratio to the population for the entire country.
Section II
For the Election of Municipal Councillors and Mayors
Article 22
The President of the Republic of Bulgaria shall endorse by decree the electoral papers for the election of municipal councillors and mayors at least 50 days prior to election day.
Article 23
(1) The territory of each municipality and of the city of Sofia shall be considered a multimember electoral district for the purpose of electing municipal councillors and a single-member electoral district for the purpose of electing a mayor. (2) The territory of each community shall be considered a single-member electoral district for the purpose of electing a mayor.
Article 24
(1) A municipal council shall consist of:
1. 15 councillors for up to 2,000 inhabitants;
2. 21 councillors for up to 5,000 inhabitants;
3. 33 councillors for up to 20,000 inhabitants;
4. 45 councillors for up to 50,000 inhabitants;
5. 51 councillors for up to 100,000 inhabitants;
6. 65 councillors for up to 100,000 inhabitants.
(2) The Municipality of the City of Sofia shall have 101 councillors.
Chapter Four
ELECTORAL SECTIONS
Article 25
Balloting and vote counting shall be done at electoral sections.
Article 26
(1) The interim executive committees shall establish common electoral sections for the election of Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors.
(2) A district electoral commission shall assign the numbers to its municipal electoral commissions; a municipal electoral commission shall assign the numbers of its electoral sections, which shall incorporate the indices of the respective district and municipal commission and of the electoral section itself.
(3) The electoral sections shall be established at least 45 days prior to election day.
Article 27
(1) An electoral section shall comprise not more than 1,000 inhabitants. Communities with more than 1,000 inhabitants shall establish as many electoral sections as is the number of their inhabitants divided by 1,000. Should the remainder exceed 500, a separate section shall be formed; a remainder of less than 500 shall be distributed among the neighbouring sections.
(2) On a motion by the interim executive committee, a municipal electoral commission shall be free to establish sections comprising fewer than 500 inhabitants.
Article 28
(1) For the purpose of electing Members of the National Assembly, separate electoral sections shall be established:
1. at hospitals, maternity wards, sanitariums and holiday homes, and homes for the disabled and the aged with no fewer than 30 voters;
2. on a vessel at sea under a Bulgarian flag with no fewer than 20 voters on board.
(2) Voters in sections established pursuant to subpara 2 of the preceding paragraph shall cast their ballots for the candidates in the electoral district in which the vessel is registered.
Chapter Five
ELECTORAL COMMISSIONS FOR MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS AND MAYORS
Article 29
(1) The following electoral commissions shall be in charge of the election conducted by virtue of this Act:
1. a Central Elections Commission, for the entire country. This commission shall be appointed for the entire term of office of the National Assembly;
2. district commissions, one for each district for the election of Members of the National Assembly;
3. municipal commissions, one for each municipality. These commissions shall be appointed for the entire terms of office of the municipal councils;
4. sectional commissions, one for each electoral section;
5. a Sofia commission, for the election of Sofia City councillors and mayor of the City of Sofia. This commission shall be appointed for the entire term of office of the Sofia City Council. (2) The Central Elections Commission shall be appointed by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria following consultations with the political entities at least 50 days prior to election day. It shall consist of a chairman, vice chairmen, a secretary, and members representing the political entities and independents. The majority of the Central Elections Commission shall be of the legal profession. The Central Elections Commission shall have no more than 25 members.
(3) The Central Elections Commission shall be free to set up expert groups.
Article 30.
(1) The make-up of the district and municipal electoral commissions shall be established by the Central Elections Commission on a motion by the respective interim executive committee following consultations with the political parties at least 40 days prior to election day.
(2) The municipal electoral commissions shall appoint the sectional electoral commissions by the procedure established by para 1 at least 35 days prior to election day.
Article 31
(1) A district and a municipal electoral commission shall consist of a chairman, two vice chairmen and a secretary - all three preferably of the legal profession, and up to 7 members - representatives of political parties or coalitions and independents.
(2) A district and a municipal electoral commission shall be free to set up expert groups.
Article 32
A sectional electoral commission shall consist of a chairman, a vice chairman, a secretary, and from 3 to 7 members.
Article 33
(1) A member of an interim executive committee, of an interim local authority, of the Armed Forces, of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or a candidate for the National Assembly, for municipal councillor or for mayor shall not be eligible to be a member of an electoral commission.
(2) To be legitimate, a meeting of an electoral commission must be attended by more than half of its members. Resolutions shall require a majority of two- thirds of those present.
(3) Aides of the different candidates shall be eligible to attend the commissions' meetings with the right to a deliberative vote and to lodge protests. Article 34
(1) The Central Elections Commission shall:
1. strictly enforce this Act, and shall exercise methodological guidance over the electoral commissions and control over the work of the district electoral commissions;
2. deal with any grievances lodged against illegal resolutions or actions on the part of the district electoral commissions and shall issue a public ruling on them within 3 days;
3. register and announce the participation in the election of coalitions and parties and the colours of their ballots. No party or coalition shall register ballot colours identical to those already registered by another party or coalition. Parties and coalitions shall be free to retain the colours of the ballot entered in the election for the Grand National Assembly;
4. control the registration of the district lists of candidates for the National Assembly;
5. declare the results of the election for the National Assembly and issue mandates to the elected Members of the National Assembly;
6. establish the conditions and procedure for the presence of Bulgarian and foreign election observers and issue them with the necessary papers;
7. check the voter registries after the election and notify the judiciary bodies of any instances of citizens having voted more than once, in contravention of this Act.
(2) A ruling of the Central Elections Commission may be appealed against within three days after it is announced before the Supreme Court, which shall issue a final ruling within 3 days and shall announce that ruling forthwith.
Article 35
(1) A district electoral commission shall:
1. strictly enforce this Act on the territory of its electoral district and control the work of the sectional electoral commissions in the election of Members of the National Assembly;
2. control the timely and proper establishment of the electoral sections;
3. control the timely and proper drawing up and publication of voter registries for the election of Members of the National Assembly and the issuing of licences to vote elsewhere; 4. supply the sectional electoral commissions with ballot boxes, envelopes, ballots and vote tallies for the election of Members of the National Assembly and control the manufacture, storage, distribution and transportation thereof;
5. deal with any grievances lodged against resolutions and actions by the sectional electoral commissions in the process of electing Members of the National Assembly and rule on them within 3 days;
6. register and make public the lists of candidates for the National Assembly in the district;
7. register the aides of the party- and coalition-nominated and independent candidates for the National Assembly and issue their credentials;
8. register and make public within three days the outcome of the election on the basis of the vote tallies returned by the sectional electoral commissions;
9. hand over the materials from the election of Members of the National Assembly to the Central Elections Commission.
(2) A ruling of a district electoral commission may be appealed against within three days after it is announced before the Central Elections Commission, which shall issue a final ruling within 3 days and shall announce that ruling forthwith.
Article 36
(1) A municipal electoral commission shall:
1. enforce strictly this Law on the territory on which it exercises its functions and control the work of the sectional electoral commissions in the election of municipal councillors and mayors;
2. control the timely and proper drawing up and publication of voter registries for the election of municipal councillors and mayors;
3. establish the sectional electoral commissions;
4. supply the sectional electoral commissions with ballot boxes, envelopes, ballots and vote tallies for the election of municipal councillors and mayors and control the manufacture, storage, distribution and transportation thereof;
5. deal with any grievances lodged against resolutions and actions by the sectional electoral commissions in the process of electing municipal councillors and mayors and issue a final ruling on them within 3 days; 6. register and make public the lists of candidates for municipal councillors and the candidates for mayors;
7. register the aides of the candidates for municipal councillors and mayors and issue their credentials;
8. establish and make public within 2 days after receiving the last sectional vote tally the outcome of the election for municipal councillors and issue the mandates of the elected municipal councillors;
9. establish the outcome of the election for mayors and issue the mandates of the elected mayors.
(2) A ruling of a municipal electoral commission may be appealed against within three days after it is announced before the district court, which shall issue a final ruling within 3 days and shall announce that ruling forthwith.
Article 37
(1) A sectional electoral commission shall:
1. ensure a free and unencumbered voting process at its polling station;
2. ensure the integrity of the voting process;
3. receive the ballot envelopes;
4. count the votes, draw up, announce and hand over the vote tallies to the respective district and municipal electoral commission within 24 hours after announcing the voting results;
5. hear grievances and rule on them forthwith.
(2) During the polling, the instructions issued by the chairman of a sectional electoral commission shall be binding on all citizens inside the polling station. The commission may overrule its chairman.
Article 38
An eligible voter residing outside the territory of a section and district may be appointed to the respective sectional electoral commission.
Article 39
(1) The political entities and the independent candidates shall submit a list of proxies to substitute their representatives on the sectional, municipal or district electoral commissions should these be lastingly incapacitated to perform their functions. Substitution shall be approved as follows: for a sectional electoral commission, by a resolution of the municipal electoral commission; for a municipal or district electoral commission, by a resolution of the Central Elections Commission.
(2) Only aides of the respective candidates shall be eligible to attend the commissions' meetings with the right to a deliberative vote and to lodge protests. An aide shall be free to request that his protest be entered in the minutes of the commission's meeting.
Article 40
(1) Members of electoral commissions shall be relieved of their employment obligations for the duration of the commission's business and shall receive unpaid service leave for that duration. The emolument of the members of electoral commissions shall come from the state budget and shall be established by the Central Elections Commission. The emolument of the members of the Central Elections Commission shall be established by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria.
(2) In the performance of their functions, the members of an electoral commission shall be considered officers in the sense of the Criminal Code.
(3) In the performance of their official functions members of an electoral commission shall not wear the insignia of any party or coalition, nor shall engage or participate in any election campaigning.
Chapter Six
CANDIDATES FOR THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS AND MAYORS
Section I
Candidates for the National Assembly
Article 41
(1) Candidates for the National Assembly shall be nominated and ranked in lists by multimember electoral districts.
(2) The district lists of candidates shall be drawn up and proposed for registration by the leadership of the parties or election coalitions thereof.
(3) A party or coalition of parties proposing a list of candidates shall conform with the provisions of this Act and the Political Parties Act.
(4) Organizations and movements which are not registered as parties shall be ineligible to enter into an election coalition or nominate candidates for the National Assembly, municipal councillors or mayors. (5) An independent candidate shall register a separate list if nominated by at least 2,000 voters in an electoral district with their signatures. A nomination committee of 5 to 7 eligible voters shall be registered with the respective district electoral commission to organize the written nomination.
(6) A written nomination in the sense of para 5 shall contain the full name of each voter, his precise address, EGN Code and signature.
Article 42
Should the Central Elections Commission or the district electoral commission find that an independent candidate lacks the signatures of the required number of voters, it shall deny his registration or, if the candidate is already registered, shall annul that registration.
Article 43
(1) A candidate for the National Assembly shall be registered by only one party or coalition and in not more than two multimember electoral districts.
(2) Should a candidate for the National Assembly be registered in more than two electoral districts, only the earliest two registrations shall be valid. District electoral commissions shall inform the Central Elections Commission of all registrations they have made within 24 hours after the expiry of the deadline established by this Act. The Central Elections Commission shall rule on any invalid registration within 3 days and shall forthwith notify the party, coalition or candidate concerned.
(3) A party or coalition shall determine at its own discretion the ranking of the candidates on the list of candidates.
(4) A list of candidates shall contain an unrestricted number of candidates' names.
Article 44
(1) An election coalition shall enter a joint list in a separate electoral district. The parties and independent candidates within a coalition shall not enter separate lists at the same time.
(2) A party or independent candidate may enter into only one coalition.
Article 45
(1) Candidates for the National Assembly shall be registered in the respective electoral district in a special registry upon presentation of the following documents: 1. a nomination by the central leadership of a party or a nomination committee from the same electoral district signed by the required number of voters;
2. a statement by the candidate that he agrees to be registered as a nominee of the respective party, coalition or nomination committee;
3. a candidate for the National Assembly shall depose an affidavit that he conforms to the provisions of Art. 3 para 1, and shall further state therein his address and EGN Code.
(2) Registration of the list of candidates for the National Assembly by the electoral districts shall end at least 30 days prior to election day.
Article 46
(1) A district electoral commission shall deny registration whenever the stipulations of this Act are not met, and shall forthwith motivate its denial in writing and advise the candidate for the National Assembly accordingly.
(2) A denial pursuant to para 1 may be appealed against before the Central Elections Commission.
(3) Should the denial be upheld, or in the circumstances established by Art. 43 para 2 the party, coalition or nomination committee shall be free to nominate for registration a new candidate within 10 days of the upholding of the denial or the annulment of the registrations, but not later than 20 days prior to election day.
(4) Should a candidate on a registered list be prevented by death or lasting incapacitation from contesting the election, a party, coalition or nomination committee shall be further free to nominate a new candidate within the provisions of the preceding paragraph.
Article 47
Parties and coalitions shall be registered by the Central Elections Commission by the procedure established by Art. 45 of this Law. Each party shall depose a copy of the court ruling by virtue of which it is registered. A copy of the relevant court ruling shall be deposed for each party within a coalition. A party coalition shall depose a memorandum of association signed by the leaders of the respective parties, and shall further supply specimens of the signatures of the persons who shall represent the coalition and a specimen of the coalition seal, if there is one.
Article 48
Each list of candidates may retain one aide in each electoral section, to assist the candidates' and the party's or coalition's election campaign and to represent their interests before the state authorities, the public organizations, the electorate, the Central and the other electoral commissions. Article 49
(1) A candidate for the National Assembly holding a state post shall enter into a paid service leave upon the registration of his candidacy.
(2) The time spent campaigning by a candidate for the National Assembly shall be counted towards his service record in the post occupied prior to registering his candidacy.
(3) An elected candidate who is an employee of a state agency, enterprise or a commercial company in which more than 50 per cent of the stock is state- owned or a state organization shall be entitled to reinstatement to his former position after the expiry of his term of office or, if the position has been made redundant, to an equal position in the same or, with the candidate's consent, another state agency, enterprise or a commercial company in which more than 50 per cent of the stock is state-owned or a state organization.
(4) Should another person be occupying the previous post of the elected candidate, the employment contract of that person shall be terminated without prior notice.
Article 50
(1) A registered candidate for the National Assembly or an aide shall not be detained and shall not have charges laid against him during the election campaign, save for a previously established grave crime.
(2) As of the moment of registration until the announcement of the election results candidates for the National Assembly and aides shall be considered officers in the sense of the Criminal Code.
Article 51
Should a member of an electoral commission be registered as a candidate, he shall resign his membership in the said commission.
Section II
Candidates for Municipal Councillors and Mayors
Article 52
(1) The lists of candidates for municipal councilors and the candidates for mayors shall be registered by the municipal electoral commissions by virtue of nominations by parties, coalitions or nomination committees pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter and upon the following conditions:
1. A candidate for a municipal councilor shall not be nominated on more than one list of candidates. Should a district electoral commission find that a candidate for municipal councilor has been nominated on more than one list of candidates, only the earlier list shall be valid.
2. independent candidates shall depose 500 signatures of voters from the respective electoral region, and in the case of communities having fewer than 1500 voters the signatures deposited shall amount to a third of the number of voters;
3. a party or independent candidate may enter into only one coalition.
4. a candidate for mayor shall not be nominated in more than one community. He shall be free to register his candidacy for the National Assembly. A candidate elected both for a mayor and for a Member of the National Assembly shall serve as mayor.
(2) Registration of the lists of candidates for municipal councilors and of candidates for mayors shall end at least 30 days prior to election day and 25 days prior to election day for independent candidates for mayors.
(3) The lists of candidates for municipal councillors and the candidates for mayors shall acquire the rights and obligations established by Art. 48.
(4) The lists of candidates for municipal councillors and the candidates for mayors shall acquire the rights established by Art. 49 paras 1 and 2 of this Act.
(5) Elected mayors shall acquire the rights established by Art. 49 paras 3 and 4.
Article 53
Should a municipal electoral commission find that an independent candidate for municipal councillor or mayor lacks the required number of supporters, it shall deny his registration or, if the candidate is already registered, shall annul that registration.
Chapter Seven
ELECTION CAMPAIGN
Article 54
(1) Citizens, parties, candidates for the National Assembly, for municipal councillors and for mayors and their aides shall be free to campaign for or against the election of a candidate. They shall be free to expound their election platforms and ideas orally or in writing at campaign meetings and in the mass information media.
(2) Campaigning shall be conducted in the official language. (3) Campaign meetings shall be public affairs. A meeting's organizer and the bodies of the Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be responsible for maintaining order during the event.
(4) No interim executive committee, interim local authority, state agency or trade union shall disseminate candidates' campaign materials or engage in other agitation.
Article 55
The Minister of National Defence shall determine jointly with the Central Elections Commission the procedure by which servicemen shall be acquainted with the platforms of the parties and candidates. No campaigning shall be allowed inside military installations. Commanding officers shall provide servicemen free access to the press, radio and television in off-duty hours and, within the limits of their furlough, access to other campaign events within the community where their unit is located.
Article 56
All candidates for the National Assembly and all parties and coalitions shall enjoy equal access to the sources of information needed by them to wage their campaigns.
Article 57
All candidates for the National Assembly and all parties and coalitions shall enjoy access to the national mass information media in a manner which shall be established by a resolution of the Grand National Assembly.
Article 58
(1) The editor or publisher of a daily newspaper or another periodical which has published an item affecting the rights and reputation of a candidate for the National Assembly, for municipal councillor or mayor shall publish that candidate's reply in the first subsequent issue.
(2) The reply shall be printed in the same position and with the same type.
(3) A reply shall be free of charge and shall not exceed in volume the item at which it is addressed.
Article 59
(1) Political parties, coalitions and candidates shall be free to employ campaign items such as posters, placards, advertisements, stickers, leaflets, appeals etc. Each printed campaign item shall state the name of the issuing political party, coalition or candidate. (2) Campaign items shall be posted only in specially allocated places; the permission of the respective owner or manager shall be required for posting them on buildings or fencing.
(3) The places where posters and other campaign items may be posted shall be determined by the interim executive committees.
(4) The defacement of properly posted campaign items shall be prohibited for the duration of the election campaign.
(5) Campaign items endangering citizens' life and limb, private or public property, the safety of traffic or of prurient content, or offending the honour or dignity of a candidate shall be subject to removal or confiscation by the interim executive committees or interim local authorities pursuant to a resolution by the district electoral commission.
(6) No campaign items shall be posted on public transport vehicles.
Article 60
(1) No previously unpublished results of public opinion polls with relevance to the election shall be published in the last 14 days before the election and on election day.
(2) Agitation shall be prohibited in the last 24 hours before election day and on election day itself.
Article 61
A party or coalition which gained more than 50,000 votes in the election for a Grand National Assembly shall be eligible to receive in advance 50 per cent of the budget allocations for financing the election campaign. Other parties, coalitions and independent candidates shall be eligible to receive a short-term interest-free loan from these allocations. Parties, coalitions and independent candidates shall be eligible to receive after the election additional amounts proportional to their vote, or to repay their loan in a manner established by the Council of Ministers.
Article 62
No candidate shall spend more than 30,000 leva to finance his election campaign.
Chapter Eight
BALLOTING
Article 63
(1) Ballots for Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors shall be cast at special polling stations established by the interim executive committees and the interim local authorities. (2) No campaign items of parties, coalitions or independent candidates shall be posted inside a polling station.
Article 64
(1) The chairman of a sectional electoral commission shall declare the start of polling at 6 a.m. on polling day in the presence of more than half of the commission's members. Should such a quorum be lacking for the next 1 hour, the chairman of the sectional electoral commission shall call in the proxies. Candidates, aides, voters, party representatives, reporters and observers shall be free to be present at the start of polling. The chairman of the commission shall make certain of the presence of the voter registries, and of the proper and empty state of the ballot boxes. The ballot boxes shall be closed and sealed with the seal of the municipal council or the community before the balloting begins.
(2) Parties shall be represented at polling stations only by persons duly authorized by the parties' leaderships.
(3) A party or coalition shall not authorize more than two persons to represent it at each polling station; of these, only one shall be present at any time during the polling hours.
Article 65
(1) Polling hours shall be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Should there be any voters outside the polling station who have failed to cast their votes by then, polling time shall be extended as long as there are voters outside the polling station.
(2) The Central Elections Commission shall exercise discretion in allowing polling time at some polling stations to begin an hour earlier.
Article 66
(1) Each voter shall provide the chairman of the sectional electoral commission or a person authorized by the chairman with proof of his identity by presenting his domestic passport or, if a serviceman, his serviceman's ID card, or if permanently residing abroad, his overseas passport.
(2) The chairman of the sectional electoral commission or a person authorized by the chairman shall check the entries in the passport against those in the voter registry for the election of Members of the National Assembly and shall only then allow the voter to proceed to the respective voting booth. Should a voter present a licence to vote elsewhere, the chairman of the sectional electoral commission shall check the entries in the licence against those in the passport, shall enter the voter's name in the additional voter registry and shall append the licence thereto. After the voter casts his ballot for the election of Members of the National Assembly, the electoral commission shall check the data for that voter against the entries in the voter registry for the election of municipal councillors and mayor and the voter's address registration and shall only then allow the voter to proceed to the respective voting booth.
(3) A voter shall be free to inform the sectional electoral commission of his intent to vote only for Members of the National Assembly or only for municipal councillors and mayor.
(4) Having placed his ballot envelope in the ballot box for the respective election, the voter shall sign against his name in the corresponding voter registry. The serial number and date of issue of his passport shall also be entered. The act of voting shall be recorded in the passport.
Article 67
(1) Two groups of voting booths shall be made available inside the polling station, one for the election of Members of the National Assembly, and the other for the election of municipal councillors and mayor.
(2) Appropriate signs shall be placed on each polling booth to denote whether it is used for the election of Members of the National Assembly or for the election of municipal councillors and mayor.
(3) A sufficient amount of ballots shall be made available in each booth. Ballots and ballot envelopes shall not be distributed among the voters in advance.
(4) Other persons, including the members of the electoral commission, shall be prohibited from being present in a booth while a voter prepares his ballot; this shall not apply to a member of the electorate invited by a disabled person to assist him in preparing his ballot. Such assistance shall be sanctioned by the chairman of the sectional commission and shall be recorded in the voter registry.
(5) There shall be no balloting outside the polling station and the polling booths.
(6) No one but a member of the sectional electoral commission shall be allowed within 3 metres of a voting booth while there is a voter inside the booth.
(7) Pursuant to a resolution by he sectional electoral commission its chairman shall be free to seek assistance from the bodies of the Ministry of the Interior to restore order inside the polling station.
(8) No one shall bear arms inside a polling station except pursuant to the preceding paragraph.
Article 68 (1) A voter shall first cast his ballot to elect Members of the National Assembly, and only then a ballot to elect municipal councillors and mayor.
(2) Voters shall receive the ballot envelopes from the sectional electoral commission.
(3) To vote for the election of Members of the National Assembly, a voter shall enter the respective voting booth where he shall place the ballot with his choice of candidates in the ballot envelope; he shall then close the envelope, come out of the booth and place the envelope inside the respective ballot box. The fact that the voter has cast his vote shall be noted in the voter registry for the election of Members of the National Assembly. The act of voting shall be recorded in the voter's passport by the sectional electoral commission with the text "Voted for Members of the National Assembly". Should in the course of voting any difference be found between the voter's EGN Code as entered in the voter registry and as entered in his passport, the chairman of the sectional electoral commission shall make certain that both codes are recorded in the voter registry.
(4) To vote for the election of municipal councillors and mayor, a voter shall enter the respective voting booth where he shall place the ballot with his choice of candidates for municipal councillors and the ballot of his choice for mayor in the ballot envelope; he shall then close the envelope, come out of the booth and place the envelope inside the respective ballot box. The fact that the voter has cast his vote shall be noted in the voter registry for the election of municipal councillors and mayor. The chairman of the sectional electoral commission or a person authorized by the chairman shall record the act of voting in the voter's passport with the text "Voted for municipal councillors and mayor".
(5) A ballot box for the election of Members of the National Assembly shall be painted white and shall be inscribed in black lettering "Election of Members of the National Assembly". A ballot box for the election of municipal councillors and mayor shall be painted black and shall be inscribed in white lettering "Election of municipal councillors and mayor".
Article 69
(1) Should a ballot box prove insufficient for the ballots of all voters in an electoral section, a spare ballot box of the same specifications shall be made available. After the close of polling the two ballot boxes shall be opened simultaneously and the ballots inside them shall be counted together.
(2) No ballot, ballot envelope or ballot box shall be taken out of a polling station.
(3) Members of a sectional electoral commission, aides and observers shall ascertain from time to time while there is no voter in a voting booth the availability of ballots for each list of candidates. Article 70
(1) Voting shall be done by means of ballots and ballot envelopes of specifications endorsed by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, namely:
1. ballots listing by name the candidates for the National Assembly from a multimember district;
2. ballots listing by name the candidates for municipal councillors;
3. ballots listing by name the candidates for mayor of a municipality;
4. ballots listing by name the candidates for mayor of a community.
(2) The four kinds of ballots established by the preceding paragraph shall differ in size among themselves.
Article 71
(1) Each party or coalition shall employ one and the same registered colour pattern for its ballots in the election of Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors. Independent candidates for Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors supported by nomination committees shall employ white ballots.
(2) A ballot shall state the number of the electoral district and the name of the political party or coalition. The candidates shall be listed on a ballot under consecutive numbers.
(3) Ballots shall be coloured white, orange, blue, green and red. All further ballots shall be white with one to three coloured strips. No combination of colours shall be identical to that of the national tricolor.
Article 72
Should a sectional electoral commission find a major contravention of the election process, it shall be free to suspend balloting until the situation is corrected. The Central Elections Commission shall be notified forthwith.
Chapter Nine
DETERMINATION OF VOTING RESULTS
Article 73
(1) After the voting hours expire, the chairman of the sectional electoral commission shall declare the close of polling. Unused ballot envelopes and ballots shall be packaged and the packages shall be sealed before the opening of the ballot box. (2) First to be opened shall be the ballot boxes for the election of Members of the National Assembly. The ballots therein shall be counted and the vote tally for the election of Members of the National Assembly shall be completed and signed. Only then shall the ballot boxes for the election of municipal councillors and mayors be opened by the procedure established by the preceding sentence.
Article 74
The opening of the ballot box and the tallying of the voting results may be done in the presence of party and coalition representatives, candidates for the National Assembly and their aides, observers and reporters.
Article 75
(1) The sectional electoral commission shall compare the number of ballot envelopes in the ballot box to the number of voters checked off in the voter registry and shall enter the figures in the vote tally. Only then shall it open the ballot envelopes and separate the valid ballots by party lists and candidates, and shall further keep separate all invalid ballots and empty ballot envelopes.
(2) Should a sectional electoral commission find one or more invalid ballots in a ballot envelope, it shall place these back in the envelope and shall enter their kind and number in the respective tally.
(3) Separate tallies shall be kept of invalid ballots and empty ballot envelopes; these tallies shall be signed by the members of the sectional electoral commission and shall become an inseparable part of the corresponding vote tally.
(4) The opening of the ballot envelopes and the counting of ballots shall be done entirely by the chairman or by another member of the sectional electoral commission authorized to do so by virtue of a resolution of that commission.
Article 76
(1) A ballot shall be considered invalid in any of the following circumstances:
1. if found in the ballot box outside a ballot envelope;
2. if more than one ballot for different party lists have been placed in one envelope. These shall count as one invalid ballot;
3. if hand-made.
(2) A conflict over the validity of a ballot shall be resolved by the commission. Each member shall be free to comment or protest over the ruling, and any such comment or protest shall be entered in the vote tally. The ruling shall also be entered into the vote tally. (3) Should the ballot box for the election of Members of the National Assembly contain an envelope which contains also ballots for the election of municipal councillors and mayors, these ballots shall be destroyed and the ballot shall be considered only with respect to the election of Members of the National Assembly. The kind and number of ballots thus destroyed shall be recorded in the vote tally. Should such an envelope contain no ballot for the election of Members of the National Assembly, it shall be considered an empty envelope.
(4) Should the ballot box for the election of municipal councillors and mayors contain an envelope which contains also ballots for the election Members of the National Assembly, these ballots shall be destroyed and the ballot shall be considered only with respect to the election of municipal councillors and mayors. The kind and number of ballots thus destroyed shall be recorded in the vote tally. Should such an envelope contain no ballot for the election of municipal councillors and mayors, it shall be considered an empty envelope.
(5) Should an envelope contain a ballot for the election of municipal councillors but no ballot for the election of mayor, it shall be considered empty with respect to the missing ballot.
(6) Should an envelope contain more than one ballot of one kind for different party lists, these shall count as one invalid ballot. The total number of ballots found in such an envelope shall be entered in the tally.
(7) An empty ballot envelope shall be considered an invalid ballot.
Article 77
(1) Two or more identical ballots in one and the same ballot envelope shall be counted as one ballot. All extra ballots in an envelope shall be placed aside, annulled with the signature of the commission's chairman and recorded in the tally.
(2) Should a ballot in an envelope contain names of candidates different from those registered in the district, it shall be considered valid and cast for the list of candidates which has registered a ballot of this colour in the district. This rule shall further apply to other production-caused deviations from the established ballot specifications in terms of size, shade of colour or errata.
Article 78
No voter-caused change in the sequence of candidates on a list shall render a ballot invalid. It shall be considered as cast for the originally established sequence.
Article 79
A ballot shall not be rendered invalid by any handwriting, added names, physical damage, smudging or crossing out. Article 80
A sectional electoral commission shall draw up four vote tallies:
1. a vote tally for the election of Members of the National Assembly;
2. a vote tally for the election of municipal councillors;
3. a vote tally for the election of municipality mayor;
4. a vote tally for the election of community mayor.
Article 81
(1) Each vote tally shall be drawn up in triplicate.
(2) Each vote tally shall state:
1. the number of the electoral section and the name of the municipality;
2. the opening and closing hours of the poll;
3. the number of voters on the general voter registry;
4. the number of voters on the additional voter registry;
5. the number of registered lists of candidates;
6. the number of voters checked off the voter registry as having cast their votes;
7. the number of voters according to the number of ballot envelopes found in the ballot box;
8. the number of valid votes cast for each candidate or list of candidates;
9. the number of invalid ballots;
10. the number of ballots destroyed pursuant to Art. 76 para 3, respectively para 4;
11. the number of empty ballot envelopes;
12. any applications, contestations and grievances, and the corresponding rulings;
13. an evaluation of the situation in which the polling was conducted. (3) The figures for subparas 3 to 11 of the preceding paragraph shall be entered both as digits and in words.
(4) Vote tallies shall be signed on every page by all members of the commission. After the tallies have been properly signed, the commission's chairman shall announce the voting results according to the number of valid votes cast for every candidate or list of candidates.
(5) Once the tallies have been signed by all members of the electoral commission, corrections may be entered only prior to the announcement of the election results by the respective electoral commission. Any correction shall be initialed by all members of the commission and shall be noted in the margin as "Correction". A correction or crossing out shall be made only after a tally has been signed by all members of the commission. Gross factual errors may be corrected even after the announcement of the election results.
(6) A member of an electoral commission shall not refuse to sign a vote tally. Should he object to anything in its contents, he shall be free to motivate a separate opinion.
(7) Each party, coalition or independent candidate or aides thereof shall be free to obtain an abstract of a tally of the voting results in an established form. Further eligible to such an abstract shall be the observers who have been present at the voting station. An abstract of the vote tally shall be posted within eyesight in front of the voting station.
Article 82
(1) The chairman of a sectional electoral commission shall hand over:
1. two copies of the vote tallies for the election of Members of the National Assembly to the respective district electoral commission, which shall keep one copy and shall send the other to the Central Elections Commission;
2. two copies of the vote tallies for the election of municipal councillors and mayors to the respective municipal electoral commission which shall keep one copy and shall send the other to the Central Elections Commission;
3. one copy of every vote tally to the interim executive committee or interim local authority where the election was conducted.
(2) A copy of the vote tallies for the election of Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors shall be sent together with all ballots (valid ballots separate from the invalid ballots), ballot envelopes and all other election materials to the respective municipal council, for safekeeping until the next election. (3) The transportation and handing over of the vote tallies and the other election-related documents shall be done by the chairman or vice chairman of the electoral commission, accompanied by no fewer than two of its members.
Article 83
(1) A district electoral commission in a multimember electoral district for the election of Members of the National Assembly shall tabulate and announce the election results from the vote tallies sent in by the sectional electoral commissions.
(2) A municipal electoral commission shall tabulate and announce the results of the election for municipal councillors from the vote tallies sent in by the sectional electoral commissions.
(3) A municipal electoral commission shall tabulate and announce the results of the election for mayors from the vote tallies sent in by the sectional electoral commissions.
Article 84
(1) A district electoral commission in a multimember electoral district for the election of Members of the National Assembly shall draw up in duplicate a vote tally for the district, which shall be signed by the members of the commission.
(2) Each vote tally shall state:
1. the number of sectional electoral commissions;
2. the number of sectional electoral commissions which have submitted vote tallies;
3. the number of voters in the electoral district according to the voter registries;
4. the number of registered party lists;
5. the number of voters checked off in the voter registries as having cast their votes;
6. the number of voters according to the number of ballot envelopes found in the ballot boxes;
7. the number of valid ballots cast for each party list;
8. the number of invalid ballots;
9. the number of empty ballot envelopes; 10. any applications, contestations and grievances, and the corresponding rulings.
(3) The figures for subparas 3 to 9 of the preceding paragraph shall be entered both as digits and in words.
Article 85
(1) The chairman of a district electoral commission shall hand over a copy of the vote tallies to the Central Elections Commission and another copy to the respective municipal council.
(2) Together with the district vote tallies he shall hand over to the Central Elections Commission a copy of the vote tallies of the sectional electoral commissions.
(3) Together with the vote tallies he shall hand over to the municipal council a copy of the vote tallies of the sectional electoral commissions, the voter registries, the ballots and other election materials received from the sectional electoral commissions.
(4) The transportation and handing over of the vote tallies and the other election-related documents shall be done by the chairman or vice chairman of the electoral commission, accompanied by no fewer than two of its members.
Article 86
(1) The outcome of the election for Members of the National Assembly registered by parties and coalitions shall be determined by the Central Elections Commission using the d'Hondt formula in accordance with the "Methodology of Computation of Voting Results by the Proportional Representation Formula" (State Gazette, No 46/1990).
(2) Eligible to participate in the allocation of seats shall be any party or coalition which has gained at least 4 per cent of the valid votes cast in the entire country in the election for Members of the National Assembly.
(3) The limit established by the preceding paragraph shall not apply to independent candidates for the National Assembly.
Article 86a
(1) An independent candidate for the National Assembly registered with a separate list shall be considered elected on gaining a number of valid votes equal to or exceeding the district vote quota.
(2) A district vote quota shall be determined by dividing the total number of valid ballots cast in a multimember electoral district by the number of seats assigned to that constituency. Article 87
(1) On the basis of the vote tallies of the sectional electoral commissions, a municipal electoral commission shall draw up three vote tallies:
1. a vote tally for the election of municipal councillors;
2. a vote tally for the election of municipality mayor;
3. a vote tally for the election of community mayor.
(2) Each vote tally shall state:
1. the number of sectional electoral commissions;
2. the number of sectional electoral commissions which have submitted vote tallies;
3. the number of voters in the municipality (community) according to the voter registries;
4. the number of registered lists of candidates, respectively the number of candidates for mayors;
5. the number of voters checked off in the voter registries as having cast their votes;
6. the number of ballot envelopes found in the ballot boxes;
7. the number of valid ballots cast for each list of candidates, respectively for each candidate for mayor;
8. the number of valid ballots for all candidates for mayors;
9. the number of invalid ballots;
10. the number of empty ballot envelopes;
11. any applications, contestations and grievances, and the corresponding rulings.
(3) The figures for subparas 3 to 10 of the preceding paragraph shall be entered both as digits and in words.
(4) Vote tallies shall be drawn up in duplicate.
(5) A copy of the vote tallies for the election of municipal councillors, respectively of the vote tally for the election of municipal mayor, shall be sent to the Central Elections Commission. Another copy of the vote tallies for the election of municipal councillors, respectively of the vote tally for the election of municipal mayor and of community mayor shall be sent to the municipal council together with the election papers.
Article 88
Each party, coalition or independent candidate in the election shall be entitled to obtain against a charge a photocopy of the vote tallies of the sectional, district and municipal electoral commissions from the authorities in whose safekeeping these vote tallies have been placed.
Article 89
Each list of candidates shall be allocated seats on the municipal council proportionally to the number of valid votes it has gained in accordance with the d'Hondt formula.
Article 90
(1) An election for mayor shall be valid if more than half the eligible voters have cast their votes.
(2) A candidate for mayor who has received more than half of the valid votes shall be considered elected.
(3) Should none of the candidates for mayor have gained the required majority, the municipal electoral commission shall schedule a second round ballot between the two top candidates within one week on a non-working day.
(4) Should there be a single registered candidate for mayor and he has failed to be elected, no new candidates shall be registered for the second ballot.
(5) Pursuant to paras 2 and 3, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be considered elected for mayor.
Article 91
(1) Should fewer than half of the eligible voters have cast their vote in the election for mayor, the municipal electoral commission shall schedule a new ballot within one week on a non-working day.
(2) The municipal electoral commission shall schedule the new ballot with a resolution which shall be publicly promulgated.
(3) The new ballot shall be conducted within the provisions of paras 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the preceding Article.
(4) Should fewer than half of the eligible voters have cast their vote on the second ballot, the candidate with the highest number of votes shall be considered elected for mayor.
Article 92 (1) Should a candidate for the National Assembly registered by a party or coalition be elected on more than one district list of candidates, he shall inform the Central Elections Commission on which list of candidates he shall be considered elected within one day of learning this fact.
(2) Pursuant to para 1, the Central Elections Commission shall announce as elected the next lower-ranking candidate from that list of candidates.
(3) The provisions of para 1 shall further apply to an independent candidate for the National Assembly elected in two multimember electoral districts.
Article 93
(1) The Central Elections Commission shall publish in State Gazette the results of the election for Members of the National Assembly immediately after they are announced.
(2) The Central Elections Commission shall publish in a special bulletin the section-by-section results of the election for Members of the National Assembly.
(3) After the end of the election and the settling of any election-related contestations the Central Elections Commission shall transfer the election materials for safekeeping in the Archives of the National Assembly.
Article 94
(1) A candidate for a National Assembly or the central leadership of a political party or coalition in the election for Members of the National Assembly shall be free to contest the legitimacy of an election of a Member of the National Assembly before the Constitutional Court through the bodies established by Art. 150 para 1 of the Constitution within a month after the announcement of the election by the Central Elections Commission.
(2) A candidate for municipal councillor or mayor or the local leadership of a political party or coalition in the election for municipal councillors and mayors shall be free to contest the legitimacy of an election result before the district court, respectively before the Sofia City Court, within two weeks after its announcement. The court shall issue a final ruling.
Article 95
Within one month after the election, the newly elected Members of the National Assembly, municipal councillors and mayors shall depose a declaration before the National Assembly, respectively before the municipal council, stating their sources of financing and the expenditures incurred during the election campaign.
Chapter Ten
VACANCIES Article 96
(1) Should a vacancy occur among the Members of the National Assembly, the Central Elections Commission shall announce as Member of the National Assembly the next lower-ranking candidate from the same list.
(2) A Member of the National Assembly elected as a minister shall cease to serve as a Member during his term of office as a minister. During that period, he shall be substituted in the National Assembly by the next lower-ranking candidate from the same list.
Article 97
The prerogatives of a Member of the National Assembly shall expire before the expiry of his term of office within the provisions of Art. 72. of the Constitution.
Article 98
The prerogatives of a municipal councillor shall expire before the expiry of his term of office upon any of the following occurrences:
1. resignation;
2. enforcement of a prison sentence for an intentional crime, or of an unsuspended prison sentence;
3. change of address outside the municipality in which he has been elected. A change of address shall be established by the respective municipal council;
4. lasting incapacitation or systematic failure to perform his duties in the course of more than one year;
5. death.
Article 99
Should a vacancy occur among the municipal councillors, the municipal electoral commission shall announce as municipal councillor the next lower-ranking candidate from the same list.
Chapter Eleven
BY-ELECTIONS
Article 100
(1) Should a vacancy for mayor occur, the municipal electoral commission shall schedule a by-election within 1 month. (2) No by-election pursuant to para 1 shall be scheduled during the last six months of a mayor's term of office.
Article 101
By-elections for mayors shall be held according to the established general procedure, with the following provisos:
1. an election shall be scheduled at least one month in advance of election day;
2. the voter registries shall be published not later than 20 days prior to election day;
3. candidates shall be registered not later than 15 days and announced not later than 10 days prior to election day;
4. the electoral sections shall be established not later than 25 days prior to election day. The same deadline shall apply to the formation of the sectional electoral commissions;
5. Voting may close earlier than 7 p.m., provided that all voters have cast their ballots.
PENALTY PROVISIONS
Article 102
(1) Whosoever violates the provisions of this Act shall be fined from 50 to 500 leva if the violation does not constitute a crime.
(2) Whosoever violates the provisions of Art. 69 para 2 or Art. 81 para 5 shall be fined from 500 to 2,000 leva if the violation does not constitute a crime.
(3) An official in the sense of this Act shall be fined from 100 to 1,000 leva for a deliberate violation in the sense of para 1, and from 1,000 to 3,000 leva for a deliberate violation in the sense of para 2 if the violation does not constitute a crime.
Article 103
(1) The bill of finding an administrative violation shall be drawn up by the chairman of a municipal or district electoral commission.
(2) The penalty ordinance shall be issued by the chairman of the interim executive committee, respectively the interim local authority. The drawing up of a bill of finding, the issuing of a penalty ordinance and their contestation shall conform to the procedures established by the Law on Administrative Violations and Penalties. TRANSITIONAL AND SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS
§ 1. The d'Hondt formula shall be applied to the election results pursuant to Art. 88 according to a special instruction issued by the Central Elections Commission.
§ 2. A "community" in the sense of this Act shall be any settlement with a mayor's office.
§ 3. "Observers" in the sense of this Act shall be:
1. representatives of the parliaments of the countries parties to the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and other human rights monitoring organizations who shall be invited through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
2. representatives of foreign political parties and movements as well as individual invitees of the political parties and coalitions registered for the election who shall be invited through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
3. authorized members of the Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections and of the Civic Initiative for Free and Democratic Elections.
§ 4. (1) A Bulgarian citizen who has resided abroad for more than one year shall provide proof of his identity by presenting his overseas passport and shall deposit an affidavit that he holds no Bulgarian domestic passport.
(2) A Bulgarian citizen who has resided abroad for more than two months and has failed to return by election day shall be struck off the voter registries drawn up inside the country.
§ 5. (1) A person doing his military service in the Armed Forces shall be ineligible to stand as candidate for the National Assembly, municipal councillor or mayor.
(2) Any other member of the Armed Forces except those listed in the preceding paragraph shall be eligible to stand as an independent candidate for the National Assembly, municipal councillor or mayor.
§ 6. Should an interim executive committee have a vacancy in the sense of Art. 9 of this Act, the voter registries shall be undersigned only by the appointed members.
§ 7. The interim executive committees of the municipalities within the City of Sofia shall continue to perform their functions until the formation of new bodies, but for not longer than two months after the election.
CONCLUDING PROVISIONS
§ 8. This Act shall supersede the provisions of the Electoral Law (publ. in State Gazette No 54/1973, amended in SG Nos. 61 and 88/1973, No 22/1976, Nos. 97 and 98/1978, No 91/1982 and No 98/1987) in the clauses pertaining to the election and recall of people's councillors, people's deputies and mayors.
§ 9. This Act shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation in State Gazette.
This Act was submitted to a vote and duly adopted by the Grand National Assembly on August 20th, 1991, and the State Seal was affixed hereto.
Chairman of the Grand National Assembly: Nikolai Todorov
Note: The amendments have been introduced with:
1) The Amendment Act to the Election of Members of the National Assembly, Municipal Councillors and Mayors Act (SG No 69/1991), which was submitted to a vote and duly adopted by the Grand National Assembly on August 22th, 1991, and the State Seal was affixed hereto.
Chairman of the Grand National Assembly: Nikolai Todorov
2) The Amendment Act to the Election of Members of the National Assembly, Municipal Councillors and Mayors Act (SG No 69/1991), which was submitted to a vote and duly adopted by the 36th National Assembly on November 21st, 1991, and the State Seal was affixed hereto.
Acting Chairman of the National Assembly: Snezhana Botousharova
LOCAL ELECTIONS ACT
Promulgated State Gazette No. 66/ 25.07.1995
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TRANSITIONAL AND CONCLUDING PROVISIONS
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6. This act shall revoke the provisions of ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, MUNICIPAL COUNCILLORS AND MAYORS A C T (Promulgated SG 69/22.08.1991; Amended SG 70, 76 & 98/1991) concerning the elections of municipal councillors and mayors holding. Chairman of the National Assembly: Blagovest Sendov