Bulgarians living abroad might vote in the forthcoming general elections wiih their old passports, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) ruled. Holders of passports expiring by and before the election date, June 17,
2001, are eligible to vote in case they have submitted an application for a new passport. Earlier CEC made a decision under which holders of old Bulgarian passports are not eligible to vote. The validity of old identity
papers expired December 31, 2000. Never the less holders of old passports are Bulgarian citizens and depriving them from the right to vote might
question the fair election race, Bulgarian President Peter Stoyanov said.
There are some 700,000 Bulgarians living abroad according to unofficial
data. Only 150,000 out of them hold the new identity papers.