Initiative committees, parties and coalitions which do not receive a state subsidy and, by law, have the right to media packages of up to BGN 40,000 for “for” and “against” campaigns for the presidential elections and the referendum on November 6 can cover their participation in national TV stations and radios only.

This is the decision expected to be taken by the Central Election Commission later on Saturday.

In an interview for Darik radio, its Chairman Ivelina Alexieva explained that the reason for this decision is to avoid the possibility of small websites linked to initiative committees to receive state money. Alexieva pointed out that there will be a signed procedure in accordance with which the funds from the media packages will be paid not to initiative committees but directly to the media and only after these present signed contracts and proof of participation.

A total of 14 initiative committees have registered for participation in the elections, while 22 have registered for campaigns for the referendum. This means that BGN 1.5 M must be paid for their media packages.

For the first time, voting is mandatory and the ballot will include an option of “I do not support anybody”. According to Alexieva, even if 50% of voters make this choice, the two presidential candidates with the greatest support will reach a ballotage.

After the vote, Citizen Registration and Administrative Services will check which eligible voters did not vote. According to the Electoral Code, an eligible voter who does not vote at two consecutive, identical rounds of voting will be deleted from the electoral register.

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