''It will be an extrme tragedy for Bulgarian democracy if this tme around again, the National assembly shows an approach so irresponsible to the need for a referendum, as the one showed by the previous government,'' said Bulgarian Presiden Rosen Plevneliev in an interview Saturday.

Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev on Wednesday submitted to parliament a proposal to hold a national referendum on amendments to voting rules alongside the local elections on 25 October.

In remarks released by his press office Plevneliev explained that the changes aim to reduce the weight of manipulated or controlled vote in the overall results and boost voter turnout.

If the motion is passed in Bulgarian Parliament, citizens will have the chance to share their opinion on the matter alongside the regular procedure for local elections.