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.