There will be no referendum on election rules in Bulgaria alongside the May 25 European Parliament elections.

In a Wednesday interview for the morning broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), Professor Georgi Bliznashki from the initiative committee on the electoral rules referendum explained that the inspection of the signatures in support of the petition had been delayed.

Bliznashki informed that the 570 000 signatures were currently being inspected by the Department of Civil Registration and Administrative Services (GRAO).

"No matter how long the probe of GRAO lasts, there has to be a referendum, be it not on May 25, because the signatures have been collected," he insisted.

The petition for the referendum on electoral rules was submitted to Parliament on March 10, after which the Parliament was to decide on a referendum in three months (early June). However, the European Parliament elections are on May 25.

The President sets a date for the referendum, which cannot be earlier than two months and later than three months from the promulgation of the decision of Parliament on holding a referendum, dnevnik.bg informs.

Only if Bulgaria's Parliament had decided in favor of the referendum within a few days in March, there would have been a chance to hold the election rules referendum on May 25.