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Bulgaria's diplomatic missions abroad have already requested permission or notified 128 countries with which our country has diplomatic relations and has an accredited ambassador. To date, out of 61 countries in which the Central Election Commission (CEC) has designated polling places, Bulgaria has received permission from 42. This became clear during a briefing by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to a decision of the CEC, 736 sections in 61 countries have been designated. "From countries with large Bulgarian communities, we are still waiting for permission from Italy, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain, Canada and Norway," announced Kalin Anastasov.
On the website of the CEC there is now the possibility to submit an electronic application for voting. The deadline for this is September 6. In the event that a sufficient number of applications are collected under the Election Code, the geography of the seats would expand, as would the number of sections within them.
"We call on Bulgarian citizens abroad to actively register through the electronic form for voting applications. Their pre-registration gives the opportunity to be included in the electoral lists for voting, which would lead to the faster running of the electoral process and, most importantly, the opportunity for the maximum number of Bulgarian citizens to exercise their right to vote", stated Kalin Anastasov.
To date, over 2,500 applications have been submitted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is able to conduct elections in about 800 polling stations abroad. A request was made to the Council of Ministers and the CEC to print 710,000 ballots. The maximum number of sections with machine voting can reach 310, and accordingly, 620 machines will be needed for voting abroad, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated.
"We are obliged to inform our citizens and compatriots that the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany informed our embassy in Berlin that this election will be held in no more than 40 places outside diplomatic and consular missions. This means that, as in November, we expect the elections in Germany to be able to be held in about 85 sections," added Anastasov.
He also reported that this time an inquiry was made to our embassy in Egypt regarding the organization of polling stations in Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
"The inquiry was made by a tour operator company that organizes excursions to Egyptian resorts during this period. Our embassy is in the process of coordinating with the Egyptian authorities to organize these missions", specified Kalin Anastasov.
The accounts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs show that the elections abroad will cost approximately BGN 6.5 million.
The topic of North Macedonia was also discussed at the briefing, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reporting on what was achieved in the Bilateral Multidisciplinary Commission on Historical and Educational Issues.
"We have started restoring trust with the Republic of North Macedonia. This road ahead of us will not be easy, nor will it be short. Trust is slowly being restored, but the first steps are encouraging. At this stage, we see how the two countries fulfill their mutual commitments. We hope this will continue," said Zhelyazko Radukov.
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