Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin. Photo by BGNES
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin has strongly criticized President Rosen Plevneliev’s proposal for a nationwide referendum on the country’s election rules.
In a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday, Plevneliev proposed a referendum in which Bulgarians will have their say on whether they want to elect some of their MPs directly rather than from party lists, voting made obligatory and electronic voting allowed.
But Vigenin has said he believes Plevneliev’s proposal is “inept PR move.”
“Asking people about procedures, and not about politics, in unconvincing,” the Foreign Minister wrote on Facebook.
Bulgaria’s embattled Socialist-led government, which has so far survived despite eight months of relentless anti-graft protests, is at loggerheads with Plevneliev and is highly unlikely to back his proposal.
If approved by Parliament, the referendum would take place along with the European elections in May.