Observation of the presidential election in Bulgaria (23 and 30 October 2011)
Election observation report
| Doc. 12796
| 24 November 2011
- Committee
- Bureau of the Assembly
- Rapporteur :
- Mr Brian BINLEY,
United Kingdom, EDG
- Thesaurus
1 Introduction
1. Following an invitation from the President of the
National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Bureau of the
Parliamentary Assembly decided, at its meeting of 20 June 2011,
to set up an ad hoc committee to observe the presidential election
in that country scheduled for 23 October 2011. At its meeting on
24 June 2011, the Bureau appointed me as Chairperson of the ad hoc
Committee.
2. Following the proposals of the political groups, the ad hoc
committee was composed as follows:
- Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD)
- Márton BRAUN, Hungary
- Janusz RACHOŃ, Poland
- Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy
- Socialist Group (SOC)
- Oleksiy
PLOTNIKOV, Ukraine
- Gisela WURM, Austria
- European Democrat Group (EDG)
- Brian BINLEY, Chair of the delegation, United Kingdom
- Ganira PASHAYEVA, Azerbaijan
- Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)
- Lenka ANDRÝSOVÁ, Czech Republic
- Group of the Unified European Left (UEL)
- Kateřina KONEČNÁ, Czech Republic
- Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS, Greece
3. In accordance with Article 15 of the co-operation agreement
signed on 4 October 2004 between the Parliamentary Assembly and
the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission),
Mr Oliver Kask, Judge at the Tallinn Circuit Court was invited to
join the ad hoc committee as an adviser.
4. Mr Dronov, Mr Torcatoriu and Ms Gastl provided secretarial
support to the ad hoc committee.
5. The ad hoc committee conducted its mission from 19 to 24 October
2011. It met with members of the Bulgarian delegation to the Assembly,
the Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Deputy Chair of
the Supreme Administrative Court, the Head of the Representation
of the European Commission in Bulgaria, candidates and/or their
representatives, as well as representatives of the media and non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) (see Appendix 1 for the programme of the visit). On election
day, the ad hoc committee was split into seven teams and observed
elections in and around Sofia, in Katunica, Kustendil and Plovdiv.
All in all, more than 100 polling stations were observed.
6. As no candidate attained an absolute majority in the first
round, on 23 October 2011, a second round took place on 30 October
2011. The ad hoc committee did not deem it necessary to observe
the second round, as it was considered unlikely that the shortcomings
observed would be remedied in time for the second vote.
7. The ad hoc committee was briefed by the Limited Election Observation
Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR)
during its first day of meetings and it appeared likely that a joint
press conference would be held and a joint statement issued. However,
further developments (OSCE/ODIHR sought to assume the role of lead observer
institution) led to separate statements (albeit similar in substance)
and separate press conferences (see Appendix 2 for the Parliamentary
Assembly's statement and Appendix 3 for the OSCE/ODIHR statement).
8. The ad hoc committee would like to thank the Bulgarian Parliament
and its staff for the excellent co-operation during the preparation
for and conduct of the observation mission.
2 Political
and legal context
2.1 Political background
9. On 15 July 2011, the Bulgarian Parliament set the
date of the presidential election for 23 October 2011. President
Georgi Parvanov issued a decree calling municipal elections for
the same day (the municipal elections were observed by the Council
of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities).
10. Following the 2009 parliamentary elections, the center-right
party “Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria” (GERB) formed
a minority government. Its leader, Mr Boyko Borisov, took office
as Prime Minister. The GERB minority government has remained in
power since then, sometimes aligning itself with the Blue Coalition
(made up of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Democrats for
Stronger Bulgaria (DSB), and three other smaller parties), with
the Order, Law and Justice party (RZS) or with the far-right Ataka
party. The Coalition for Bulgaria (consisting of the Bulgarian Socialist
Party (BSP) and several other smaller parties) and the Movement
for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) represent the opposition.
11. Most interlocutors of the ad hoc committee in Sofia expressed
concerns over possible vote-buying and voter intimidation. However,
it appeared that this particular concern was linked more to the
municipal elections than to the presidential ballot. Roma citizens
were considered to be the most vulnerable in terms of vote bullying
and vote buying. Wealthy municipalities with business interests
at stake (e.g. the areas on the Black Sea coast) were also mentioned
as potential areas for vote-buying practices, but again, this appeared
to be a concern only for the municipal elections.
12. The ad hoc committee was told that the price for a vote ranged
from around 20 BGN (€10) in the poor Roma areas to 200 BGN (€100)
in the wealthy regions with high economic interests at stake. However,
neither observers nor the media could substantiate or disprove such
claims.
13. The Bulgarian authorities would appear to consider vote buying
as an issue of great concern, as the Criminal Code was amended in
2009 to increase penalties for such practices. Parties were also
obliged by law to include warnings in all campaign materials that
vote buying is a criminal offence.
14. Concerns regarding the potential abuse of administrative resources
were also raised during the different meetings of the ad hoc committee.
In this context, it was noted that the Minister of the Interior
was also the Head of the electoral campaign for GERB.
2.2 Legal framework
15. The legal framework regulating the elections includes
the Constitution (as interpreted by the Constitutional Court), the
Electoral Code, the Law on political parties, the Criminal Code,
the Law on administrative procedure and the Law on meetings, rallies
and manifestations.
16. A new Electoral Code was adopted in 2011. After reviewing
it, the Venice Commission concluded that it provided a sound legal
basis for the conduct of democratic elections, but there still was
room for improvement, in particular in the following areas: the
possibility for persons belonging to ethnic minorities to use their
mother tongue during campaigning, the provisions regulating campaigning
in the mass media, the possibility to recount ballots and the definition
of the rights and responsibilities of observers.
3 Election administration
and voter and candidate registration
3.1 Election administration
17. The elections were administrated by the Central Election
Commission, 264 municipal election commissions (MECs) and 11 807
precinct election commissions (PECs). The CEC was appointed by the President
in April 2011, upon nominations from political parties and coalitions.
It is only active when elections are due to take place and does
not have an independent budget.
3.2 Voter registration
18. Voters’ lists were extracted from the population
register maintained by the Civil Registration and Administrative
Services Department of the Ministry of the Regional Development
on the basis of voters’ permanent addresses.
19. There were 6 933 748 voters registered for the presidential
election. Having in mind that, according to the 2011 census, Bulgaria’s
population is 7 364 570, the ratio between the number of inhabitants
and the number of registered voters raises concerns as the difference
is much smaller than the normal number of non-voting age inhabitants
of a country. This issue is, moreover, referred to in the Joint
Opinion on the Electoral Code of Bulgaria by the Venice Commission
and OSCE/ODIHR, as it appeared to open up the possibility for ballot
box stuffing.
20. Some interlocutors of the ad hoc committee expressed concerns
with regard to the accuracy of the voters’ lists, explaining that
Bulgarian citizens who had left the country but had not informed
the Bulgarian authorities about this were still included on the
voters’ lists with their former Bulgarian addresses.
21. A total of 161 polling stations were established abroad, in
58 countries. Eligible voters could vote abroad upon presentation
of an official identity paper and after signing a declaration that
they had not already voted.
3.3 Candidate registration
22. Political parties, coalitions and nomination committees
(for the independent candidates) had to register with the CEC. Candidate
nominations had to be accompanied by both a collection of support
signatures (at least 7 000) and a monetary deposit of 10 000 BGN
(around €5 000).
23. Eighteen teams of president and vice-president candidates
were registered. Two presidential and seven vice-presidential candidates
were women.
3.4 Methods of voting
24. According to the new Electoral Code, voters had to
mark the ballot with an X in blue ink only. Failure to do so would
render ballot papers invalid.
25. Ballot papers were to be put in transparent ballot boxes as
such, without an envelope. Since the ballot papers were to be stamped
both before and after voting, this raised concerns about the secrecy
of the vote.
4 The campaign period
and media environment
4.1 The campaign and
its financing
26. The official election campaign started 30 days before
election day.
27. According to the law, the election campaign has to be conducted
in the Bulgarian language only. However, those candidates who decided
to use another language had no problems, as this requirement was not
enforced.
28. Overall, the campaign was calm and low-key and public interest
was rather low. However, it has to be noted that the campaign environment
was negatively affected by anti-Roma protests following the killing
of a young ethnic Bulgarian man in Katunica.
29. The new Electoral Code provides a limit of 2 million BGN (about
one million euros) per candidate for the presidential campaign.
It also clarifies the authority of the National Audit Office to
enforce regulations.
4.2 Media environment
30. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution.
The Criminal Code includes, however, provisions criminalising defamation
and on combating incitement to hatred, which, in principle, could
restrict freedom of expression, as accusations may lead to prison
terms of up to four years. It was alleged that this has led to self-censorship.
31. Bulgaria has a pluralistic media environment.
32. The Electoral Code has no provisions for free airtime for
the presidential candidates for the first round (only for the closing
addresses and debate appearances for the second round). Any appearances
on the state-owned Bulgarian National Television (BNT1) and Bulgarian
National Radio (BNR) were to be paid for, the rates being identical
for all candidates. However, this allegedly led to inequality between
candidates as they did not dispose of the same level of funding.
It would appear that around half of the paid coverage of the campaign was
purchased by three candidates: Ivaylo Kalfin (Socialist Party),
Rosen Plevneliev (GERB) and Volen Siderov (Ataka).
33. Even if not bound by the same rules as BNT1 and BTR, commercial
broadcasters and newspapers had a similar approach towards the electoral
campaign. In general terms, the paid coverage was not recognisable as
such as it was often included within the news programmes. This obviously
had a negative effect on the quality of information available to
the public.
5 Complaints and
appeals
34. The CEC was to decide on complaints by a two-thirds
majority. This meant that, in some cases, the CEC had difficulties
in reaching a decision. According to the Electoral Code, such cases
are tantamount to a “refusal” to take a decision. Two such cases
of “refusal” were appealed to the administrative courts, which ruled
that it was unlawful for the CEC to refuse to take a decision and
that it could therefore take the necessary decision by simple majority.
6 Election day
35. On election day, the ad hoc committee was split into
seven teams and observed elections in and around Sofia, in Katunica,
Kustendil and Plovdiv.
36. We were impressed by the overall orderly and peaceful conduct
of the vote. The PEC members were familiar with the procedures.
No major issues were reported to the members of the ad hoc committee.
37. Our observers, however, noticed that there was some confusion
concerning the opening time of the polling stations, for example
in Sofia some PECs opened at 6 a.m. while others opened at 7 a.m.
The reason for this appeared to be last-minute information from
the CEC, changing the opening time from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Some PECs
were aware of this change while others were not.
38. In Sofia, it was also observed that many PECs received a number
of ballot papers which was clearly less than the number of voters
registered on the lists (around 30-40% less). This was explained
by the fact that a high number of voters had not been expected and
that, in the event that the number of voters came close to the number
of ballot papers received, more ballot papers could be delivered
immediately by the municipal authorities following a telephone call.
In other PECs, also in Sofia, the exact number of ballot papers
received was not known but was considered by the PEC members to
be more or less equal to the number of voters registered on the
lists.
39. In several PECs in Plovdiv, the situation was quite the opposite,
as PECs reported having received a number of ballot papers slightly
superior to the number of registered voters.
40. The PECs visited provided voters with blue ink ballpoint pens
and adequate information on how to mark the ballot papers was clearly
displayed.
41. In some PECs queues of voters were seen, most probably due
to the fact that the voting process was time consuming and most
PECs had only one or two polling booths.
42. On 26 October 2011, the official results of the elections
were made public (Appendix 4: CEC Decision No. 1349/26 October 2011)
43. The election ended inconclusively as none of the candidates
gained more than half of the valid votes cast.
44. The CEC determined the two candidates who gained the most
votes as being:
- 1. Rosen Asenov
Plevneliev (and Margarita Stefanova Popova for Vice-President),
GERB Political Party: 1 349 380 votes;
- 2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin (and Stefan Lambov Danailov
for Vice-President), Bulgarian Socialist Party: 974 300 votes.
45. These candidates contested a second round of election, conducted
on 30 October 2011.
46. The results of the second round of the election, on 30 October
2011, which the ad hoc committee did not observe for reasons set
out in paragraph 6 above, were as follows:
- 1. Rosen Asenov Plevneliev (and Margarita Stefanova Popova
for Vice-President), GERB Political Party: 1 698 136 votes;
- 2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin (and Stefan Lambov Danailov
for Vice-President), Bulgarian Socialist Party: 1 531 93 votes.
47. The CEC declared Rosen Asenov Plevneliev President-Elect and
Margarita Stefanova Popova Vice- President-Elect (Appendix 5: CEC
Decision No. 1459/01.11.2011).
7 Conclusions
and recommendations
48. The ad hoc committee welcomed Bulgaria’s continuous
progress towards the implementation of its commitments vis-à-vis
the Council of Europe in the field of democratic elections. In this
connection, it noted, in particular, Bulgaria’s co-operation with
the Assembly in the framework of the post-monitoring dialogue, as
well as with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission.
49. The ad hoc committee was impressed by the dedication and efficiency
of Bulgarian electoral administrators at local level. It further
noted the arrangement put together by the Supreme Administrative
Court to cater for election-related complaints and appeals. The
ad hoc committee was heartened by the overall orderly and peaceful
conduct of the vote.
50. However, the ad hoc committee felt that there remained certain
aspects that needed to be further addressed.
51. The new electoral code, while a clear step forward, has left
open a number of important issues. The recommendations made by the
Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR regarding the complaints and appeals procedures
in the Election Code need to be addressed. All complaints with regard
to elections should be considered in a short time-frame and according
to a similar procedure. The decisions of the CEC should not be considered
under ordinary administrative court procedures as was the case in
some issues.
52. Candidates' access to the media is in a clear need of drastic
improvement to ensure a level playing field for all concerned.
53. A clearer distinction should be made by the media as far as
editorial and paid political advertisements are concerned.
54. The CEC should conduct its work with greater transparency
and its composition should be such as to ensure broader public confidence
in the process. Thought should be given to the possible establishment
of a permanent, independent and non-political CEC.
55. A more thorough training of members of lower level election
commissions (MECs and PECs) should be organised in the run-up to
elections. This would enable the PECs, in particular, to administer
better the voting process so it can be conducted speedily and queuing
of voters can be avoided.
56. The ad hoc committee would suggest that the Bulgarian authorities
consider establishing a dedicated voters’ register as opposed to
a register formed from population lists compiled by local authorities.
57. Arrangements for out-of-country voting should also be significantly
improved to ensure genuinely universal suffrage.
58. A more lenient approach in the Electoral Code to campaigning
in languages other than Bulgarian would be welcome; candidates should
be allowed to use other languages de
jure and not only de facto.
Appendix 1 – Programme (20-24
October 2011)
Thursday,
20 October 2011
10:30 – 11:30 Ad hoc committee meeting
11:30 – 12:30 Meeting with Mr Vadim Zhdanovich, Head of the
OSCE/ODIHR Limited ElectionObservation Mission in Bulgaria with
the participation of:
- Mr Stefan
Krause, Deputy Head of Mission/Political Analyst
- Ms Francine Barry, Election Analyst
- Mr Richard Bainter, Legal Analyst
- Ms Elma Šehalić, Media Analyst
- Ms Salome Hrvaskoski, National Minorities Analyst
- Ms Lolita Čigāne, Campaign Finance Analyst
- Mr Carlo Rappalardo Fischer, Long-Term Observation Co-ordinator
12:30 – 13:30 Meeting with the Bulgarian delegation to the
Parliamentary Assembly
15:00 – 16:30 Meeting with Ms Krassimira Medarova, Chairperson
of the CEC, and several of her collaborators
17:00 – 18:30 Meeting with Mrs Veneta Markovska, Deputy Chairwoman
of the Supreme Administrative Court, Ms Maria Radeva, Secretary
General and Mr Mario Dimitrov, Judge
Friday, 21 October
2011
9:00 – 10:00 Meeting with Ms Zinaida Zlatanova, Head of the
Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria (accompanied
by Ms Dora Krumova, Head of the Political Department, and Mr Borislav
Dimitrov, Advisor)
10:00 – 11:15 Meeting with media representatives
11:15 – 11:30 Briefing by Mr Oliver Kask, Venice Commission
11:30 – 13:00 Meeting with NGOs
14:30 – 18:30 Meeting with presidential candidates and/or
their representatives:
- Coalition
for Bulgaria (Mr Yanaki Stoilov, Ms Aglika Videnova, Ms Nevena Alexieva)
- Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) (Mr Tsvetomir
Paunov, Mr Krasimir Cipov)
- Coalition Union of Right Forces (Mr Emanuil Yordanov and
Mr Latchezar Toshev)
- Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) (Mr Hristo Biserov,
Mr Rushen Riza, Mr Moustafa Karadaya)
- Order Law Justice (RZS) (Mr Alexander Dimitrov, Mr Slavi
Vasilev, Mr Angel Dimitrov)
- Party Ataka (Mr
Dimitar Stoyanov)
- Ms Meglena Kuneva (accompanied by Mr Kalin Tomov)
- United People’s Party (Ms Maria Cappone, Ms Nadiya Mironova,
Mr Anatoli Assenov)
Saturday, 22
October 2011
10:00 Deployment
Sunday, 23 October
2011
All day Observation of elections
Monday, 24 October
2011
09:00 – 10:00 Ad hoc committee meeting – debriefing
12:00 Press Conference
Appendix 2 – Presidential
election in Bulgaria: statement by PACE observer delegation
Strasbourg, 24.10.2011 – “The observer delegation
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) welcomes
Bulgaria’s continuous progress towards the implementation of its
commitments vis-à-vis the Council of Europe in the field of democratic
elections. In this connection, the delegation notes, in particular, Bulgaria’s
co-operation with PACE in the framework of post-monitoring dialogue
as well as with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The delegation was impressed with the dedication and efficiency
of Bulgarian electoral administrators. It further noted the arrangement
put together by the Supreme Administrative Court to deal with election-related complaints
and appeals. The delegation was heartened by the overall orderly
and peaceful conduct of the vote.
At the same time, there remain certain aspects that need to
be further addressed.
The new electoral code, while a clear step forward, must have
been adopted quickly leaving open quite a few important issues.
Contestants’ access to the media is in clear need of drastic
improvement to ensure a level playing field for all concerned.
A clearer distinction has to be made by the media as far as
editorial and paid political advertisements are concerned.
The Central Electoral Commission should conduct its work with
greater transparency and its composition should be such as to ensure
broader public confidence in the process. Thought should be given
to the eventual establishment of a permanent, independent and non-political
electoral commission.
Bulgarian authorities may wish to consider establishing a
dedicated voters’ register, as opposed to a register formed from
the population lists compiled by local authorities.
The process of registration of the candidates, whilst remaining
rigorous, should be made less dependent upon timing, as the current
system has a particularly unhelpful impact upon independent candidates.
Arrangements for out-of-country voting should be significantly
improved to ensure real universality of suffrage.
A more lenient approach to campaigning in languages other
than Bulgarian would be welcome.
The delegation was in Bulgaria from 20 to 24 October 2011
at the invitation of the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament. It
had an intensive programme of meetings with presidential candidates
and/or their representatives, the Chairperson of the Central Electoral
Commission, top representatives of the Supreme Administrative Court,
the Bulgarian PACE delegation, a representative cross-section of
civil society and the media, the Head of the EC Representation in
Bulgaria and with the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.
PACE stands ready to provide further assistance to Bulgaria
in its endeavours along the road of further enhancing democracy.”
Members of the PACE delegation: Brian Binley (United Kingdom,
EDG), Head of the Delegation, Márton Braun (Hungary, EPP/CD), Janusz
Rachón (Poland, EPP/CD), Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), Oleksiy Plotnikov (Ukraine,
SOC), Gisela Wurm (Austria, SOC), Ganira Pashayeva (Azerbaijan,
EDG), Lenka Andrýsová (Czech Republic, ALDE), Katerina Konečná (Czech
Republic, UEL), Dimitros Papadimoulis (Greece, UEL).
Appendix 3 – OSCE observers
assess Bulgarian elections positively, but raise concerns about
vote-buying, media coverage
SOFIA, 24 October 2011 – In a statement issued
today, the observer mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions
and Human Rights (ODIHR) made an overall positive assessment of
yesterday’s presidential and municipal elections, but said continued
reform is needed to address concerns such as pervasive allegations
of vote-buying and the near absence of any editorial coverage of
the campaign in the media.
“These elections provided voters with a wide choice of political
options, and they took place in an environment which showed respect
for fundamental freedoms,” said Vadim Zhdanovich, the Head of the
OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.
But he stressed that further efforts are needed to enhance
the integrity of the election process and increase public confidence.
The observers noted that the elections were administered in
an overall professional manner and on the basis of new legislation
that provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections.
The registration process was inclusive, and candidates were
able to campaign freely and without impediments.
But persistent and widespread allegations of vote-buying undermined
confidence in the election process, despite the authorities’ efforts
to combat such practices.
Almost all campaign coverage by the media was paid for by
the contestants, as provided by law. This resulted in the near absence
of independent editorial coverage or analysis of the campaign in
the public and private media. The predominance of paid campaign
coverage impacted negatively on the level of information available to
voters.
Provisions restricting the use of minority languages in the
campaign disadvantage minority groups and appear to be at odds with
OSCE commitments. There were allegations that minorities, especially
Roma, were particularly susceptible to undue influence such as vote-buying
and pressure. Some contestants used nationalistic and inflammatory
language against minorities.
Voting, counting and tabulation appeared to proceed in a calm,
orderly and professional manner, with a few procedural problems
noted. Processing of voters was often slow, resulting in queues
and in an extension of voting hours.
For further information contact:
Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR,
+48 603 683 122 or +359877553670, [email protected]
Appendix 4 – CEC Decision
No. 1349-ПВР/26 October 2011
Central
Election Commission – Decision No. 1349-ПВР
Sofia, 26 October 2011
SUBJECT: Declaring the results of the elections of President
and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, conducted on 23
October 2011, for the separate candidate lists proposed by parties,
coalitions of parties and nomination committees in the order of
appearance on the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President
of the Republic
In pursuance of Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic
of Bulgaria and Article 10 (2) of the Election Code, elections of
President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria were conducted
on 23 October 2011.
On polling day, out of a total number of 6,933,748 voters
within the meaning of Article 42 (1) of the Constitution of the
Republic of Bulgaria, 3,593,751 voters participated in the polls.
In pursuance of Article 93 (4) in conjunction with Article
93 (3) and Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria
and Items 1 and 2 of Article 26 (3) and Article 254 (1) and (2)
of the Election Code, the Central Election Commission
HAS DECIDED:
The Commission hereby declares the results of the elections
of President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, conducted
on 23 October 2011, for the separate candidate lists proposed by
parties, coalitions of parties and nomination committees in the
order of appearance on the ballot paper for voting for President
and Vice President of the Republic as follows:
No. 1 Meglena Shtiliyanova Kuneva and Lyubomir Hristov Hristov,
Nomination Committee: 470,808
No. 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev and Margarita Stefanova Popova,
GERB Political Party: 1,349,380
No. 3 Sali Shaban Ibryam and Valentina Ivanova Gotseva, EDINSTVO
NATIONAL MOVEMENT Political Party: 41,837
No. 4 Roumen Dimitrov Hristov and Emanouil Nikolov Yordanov,
UNION OF RIGHT-WING FORCES Coalition of Parties: Union of Democratic
Forces, United Agrarians, Democratic Party, Gergyovden Movement,
Union of Free Democrats, Radicals Bulgarian Democratic Union, Bulgarian
Democratic Forum: 65,761
No. 5 Maria Vasileva Cappone and Nikolai Hristov Kissyov,
UNITED PEOPLE’S PARTY Political Party: 30,665
No. 6 Stefan Georgiev Solakov and Galina Asenova Vassileva,
NATIONAL FRONT FOR SALVATION OF BULGARIA Political Party: 84,205
No. 8 Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin and Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN
SOCIALIST PARTY Political Party: 974,300
No. 9 Volen Nikolov Siderov and Pavel Dimitrov Shopov, ATAKA
Political Party: 122,466
No. 12 Aleksei Iliev Petrov and Nikolai Lichkov Georgiev,
Nomination Committee: 31,613
No. 13 Nikolai Nankov Nenchev and Zheko Stoyanov Ivanov, BULGARIAN
AGRARIAN PEOPLE’S UNION Political Party: 9,827
No. 14 Atanas Markov Semov and Polya Nikolova Stancheva, ORDER,
LAWFULNESS, JUSTICE Political Party: 61,797
No. 15 Pavel Mihailov Chernev and Anelia Dimitrova Delcheva,
PARTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION Political Party: 8,081
No. 16 Dimiter Demirov Koutsarov and Kamelia Kirilova Todorova,
Nomination Committee: 6,989
No. 17 Krassimir Donchev Karakachanov and Daniela Prodanova
Simidchieva-Dimitrova, VMRO – BULGARIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT Political
Party: 33,236
No. 18 Andrei Ivanov Chorbanov and Angel Boichev Mirchev,
BULGARIAN DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY Political Party: 6,340
No. 19 Nikolai Kirilov Vassilev and Vladimir Emil Savov, Nomination
Committee: 5,633
No. 20 Svetoslav Emilov Vitkov and Ventsislav Emilov Mitsov,
Nomination Committee: 54,125
No. 21 Ventsislav Yordanov Yossifov and Emiliyan Kroumov Dimitrov,
Nomination Committee: 7,021
No President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria
were elected in the elections conducted on 23 October 2011 because
more than one-half of the voters participated in the voting but
none of the candidates gained more than one-half of the valid votes.
The Commission has determined the top two candidates on lists
who gained the most votes, who are to contest a new election according
to Article 93 (4) in conjunction with Article 94 of the Constitution
of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The Commission hereby declares the names of the candidates
between whom the new election is to be conducted:
1. Rosen Asenov Plevneliev and Margarita Stefanova Popova,
GERB Political Party: 1,349,380
2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin and Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN
SOCIALIST PARTY Political Party: 974,300
A new election of President and Vice President of the Republic
of Bulgaria is to be conducted on 30 October 2011.
CHAIRPERSON: rassimira Medarova
SECRETARY: Sevinch Solakova
DEPUTY CHAIRPERSONS:
- Elena
Markova
- Maya Andreeva
- Maria Moussorlieva
- Roumyana Siderova
- Sabrie Sapoundjieva
MEMBERS:
- Anna Manahova
- Erhan Chaoushev
- Bisser Troyanov
- Ivanka Grozeva
- Valentin Boikinov
- Krassimir Kalinov
- Ventsislav Karadjov
- Mariana Hristova
- Vladimir Hristov
- Paskal Boyadjiiski
- Gergana Marinova
- Ralitsa Negentsova
- Emanouil Hristov
- Silva Dyukendjieva
* Published at 02:53 hrs on 27 October 2011
Appendix 5 – CEC Decision
No. 1459/01.11.2011
Central
Election Commission – Decision No 1458-ПВР
Sofia, 01.11.2011
REGARDING: Announcing the final results of the election for
President and Vice President of the Republic and the names of the
President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect of the Republic of
Bulgaria.
On October 23, 2011 elections were held for President and
Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, where out of the total
number of voters, which according to the tenor of Art. 42, Para
1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria amounted to 6,933,748
voters, 3,593,751 have voted according to the signatures laid in the
election rolls.
Pursuant to Art. 93, Para 4 in connection with Para 3 and
Art. 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Art.
26, Para 3 (1) and Art. 254, Para 1 and 2 of the Election Code,
the Central Election Commission announced the results by ticket
for all candidates in the elections for President and Vice President
of the Republic held on October 23, 2011 in the order of their entry
in the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President
of the Republic, as follows:
№ 1 Meglena Shtilyanova Kuneva & Lyubomir Hristov Hristov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 470,808 votes
№ 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova,
Political Party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria GERB
– 1 349 380 votes
№ 3 Sali Shaban Ibryam & Valentina Ivanova Gotseva, Political
Party NATIONAL MOVEMENT UNITY – 41,837 votes
№ 4 Rumen Dimitrov Hristov & Emanuil Nikolov Yordanov,
Coalition UNION OF RIGHT-WING FORCES – Union of Democratic Forces,
United Agrarians, Democratic Party, Gergyovden Movement, Union of
Free Democrats, Bulgarian Democratic Union Radicals, Bulgarian Democratic
Forum – 65,761 votes
№ 5 Maria Vasileva Kapon & Nikolay Hristov Kisyov, Political
Party UNITED PEOPLE’S PARTY – 30,665 votes
№ 6 Stefan Georgiev Solakov & Galina Asenova Vasileva,
Political Party NATIONAL FRONT FOR SALVATION OF BULGARIA – 84,205
votes
№ 8 Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, Political
Party BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY – 974,300 votes
№ 9 Volen Nikolov Siderov & Pavel Dimitrov Shopov, Political
Party ATAKA – 122,466 votes
№ 12 Aleksey Iliev Petrov & Nikolay Lichkov Georgiev,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 31,613 votes
№ 13 Nikolay Nankov Nenchev & Zheko Stoyanov Ivanov, Political
Party BULGARIAN AGRARIAN NATIONAL UNION – 9,827 votes
№ 14 Atanas Markov Semov & Polya Nikolova Stancheva, Political
Party ORDER, LAW AND JUSTICE – 61,797 votes
№ 15 Pavel Mihailov Chernev & Anelia Dimitrova Delcheva,
Political Party PARTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION – 8,081 votes
№ 16 Dimitar Demirov Kutsarov & Kamelia Kirilova Todorova,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 6,989 votes
№ 17 Krasimir Donchev Karakachanov & Daniela Prodanova
Simidchieva-Dimitrova, Political Party VMRO – BULGARIAN NATIONAL
MOVEMENT – 33,236 votes
№ 18 Andrey Ivanov Chorbanov & Angel Boychev Mirchev,
Political Party BULGARIAN DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY – 6,340 votes
№ 19 Nikolay Kirilov Vasilev & Vladimir Emil Savov, INITIATIVE
COMMITTEE – 5,633 votes
№ 20 Svetoslav Emilov Vitkov & Ventsislav Emilov Mitsov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 54,125 votes
№ 21 Ventsislav Yordanov Yosifov & Emilian Krumov Dimitrov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 7,021 votes
Having found that at the election held on October 23, 2011
no President and Vice President of the Republic have been elected,
according to the tenor of Art. 93, Para 3 of the Constitution of
the Republic of Bulgaria, the Central Election Commission determined
on the first two candidates, who have garnered the highest number of
votes, to participate in a runoff election pursuant to Art. 93,
Para 4 in connection with Art. 94 of the Constitution of the Republic
of Bulgaria, as follows:
Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova,
Political Party GERB – 1,349,380 votes
Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN
SOCIALIST PARTY – 974,300 votes
Pursuant to Art. 93, Para 4 of the Constitution of the Republic
of Bulgaria, a new round of elections for President and Vice President
of the Republic of Bulgaria was held on October 30, 2011, where
out of the total number of voters which according to the tenor of
Art. 42, Para 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria
amounted to 6,933,615 voters, 3,334,169 have voted according to
the signatures laid in the election rolls.
Having taken the above into account and pursuant to Art. 93
and 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Art.
26, Para 3 (3) in connection with Art. 256 of the Election Code
and CEC Decision No 1349-ПВР of October 26, 2011, the Central Election
Commission
DECIDED:
1. ANNOUNCES the results by ticket for all candidates in the
election for President and Vice President of the Republic, held
on October 23, 2011 in the order of their entry in the ballot paper
for voting for President and Vice President of the Republic, as
follows:
№ 1 Meglena Shtilyanova Kuneva & Lyubomir Hristov Hristov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 470,808 votes
№ 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova,
Political Party GERB – 1,349,380 votes
№ 3 Sali Shaban Ibryam & Valentina Ivanova Gotseva, Political
Party NATIONAL MOVEMENT UNITY – 41,837 votes
№ 4 Rumen Dimitrov Hristov & Emanuil Nikolov Yordanov,
Coalition UNION OF RIGHT-WING FORCES – Union of Democratic Forces,
United Agrarians, Democratic Party, Gergyovden Movement, Union of
Free Democrats, Bulgarian Democratic Union Radicals, Bulgarian Democratic
Forum – 65,761 votes
№ 5 Maria Vasileva Kapon & Nikolay Hristov Kisyov, Political
Party UNITED PEOPLE’S PARTY – 30,665 votes
№ 6 Stefan Georgiev Solakov & Galina Asenova Vasileva,
Political Party NATIONAL FRONT FOR SALVATION OF BULGARIA – 84,205
votes
№ 8 Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, Political
Party BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY – 974,300 votes
№ 9 Volen Nikolov Siderov & Pavel Dimitrov Shopov, Political
Party ATAKA – 122,466 votes
№ 12 Aleksey Iliev Petrov & Nikolay Lichkov Georgiev,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 31,613 votes
№ 13 Nikolay Nankov Nenchev & Zheko Stoyanov Ivanov, Political
Party BULGARIAN AGRARIAN NATIONAL UNION – 9,827 votes
№ 14 Atanas Markov Semov & Polya Nikolova Stancheva, Political
Party ORDER, LAW AND JUSTICE – 61,797 votes
№ 15 Pavel Mihailov Chernev & Anelia Dimitrova Delcheva,
Political Party PARTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION – 8,081 votes
№ 16 Dimitar Demirov Kutsarov & Kamelia Kirilova Todorova,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 6,989 votes
№ 17 Krasimir Donchev Karakachanov & Daniela Prodanova
Simidchieva-Dimitrova, Political Party VMRO – BULGARIAN NATIONAL
MOVEMENT – 33,236 votes
№ 18 Andrey Ivanov Chorbanov & Angel Boychev Mirchev,
Political Party BULGARIAN DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY – 6,340 votes
№ 19 Nikolay Kirilov Vasilev & Vladimir Emil Savov, INITIATIVE
COMMITTEE – 5,633 votes
№ 20 Svetoslav Emilov Vitkov & Ventsislav Emilov Mitsov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 54,125 votes
№ 21 Ventsislav Yordanov Yosifov & Emilian Krumov Dimitrov,
INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 7,021 votes
2. ANNOUNCES the final results of the election for President
and Vice President of the Republic, held on October 30, 2011, as
follows:
Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova,
Political Party GERB – 1,698,136 votes
Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN
SOCIALIST PARTY – 1,531,193 votes
2. DECLARES Rosen Asenov Plevneliev President-Elect.
4. DECLARES Margarita Stefanova Popova Vice President-Elect.
This Decision is subject to promulgation in the State Gazette.
CHAIRPERSON: Krasimira Medarova
SECRETARY: Sevinch Solakova
DEPUTY CHAIRPERSONS:
- Elena
Markova
- Maya Andreeva
- Maria Musorlieva
- Rumyana Siderova
- Sabrie Sapundzhieva
MEMBERS:
- Anna Kolusheva-Manahova
- Erhan Chaushev
- Biser Troyanov
- Ivanka Grozeva
- Valentin Boykinov
- Krasimir Kalinov
- Ventsislav Karadzhov
- Mariana Hristova
- Vladimir Hristov
- Paskal Boyadzhiyski
- Gergana Marinova
- Ralitsa Negentsova
- Emanuil Hristov
- Silva Dyukendzhieva
* Published on 1 November 2011 at 17:52 hrs
