Lyutvi Mestan. Photo by BGNES
Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Ministry is issuing false information regarding the number of Bulgrian voters abroad for the May 12 early elections, said Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Lyutvi Mestan.
Mestan drew attention to the fact that until Monday noon, the ministry had said of 31,000 declarations filed by Bulgarians wishing to vote abroad, and then changed the number to 46,000 within an hour.
"We have reliable information of the actual number of those declarations, and it is over 80,000," said the political leader.
"I hope that behind those incorrect figures there is no ulterior motive to limit the number of polling stations abroad," added Mestan.
He urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reveal the true number and to take all measures to guarantee that all Bulgarians entitled to vote will be able to do so.
Traditionally supported by Bulgaria's Turkish minority, the Movement relies on many voters from the Turkish-Bulgarian diaspora in Turkey.