Bulgaria’s PM Signals He’ll Step Down Only if No-Confidence Vote Passes
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said he is prepared to leave office only if parliament adopts a vote of no confidence
The Bulgarian Constitutional Court has declared the election of 16 members of parliament invalid following a review of the election process. This decision, published by the court, came after multiple cases were filed challenging the results of the October 27, 2024, parliamentary elections. These cases, involving 52 electoral sections, were merged for joint consideration.
The court’s findings revealed multiple irregularities in the election process, including issues with section election commissions, missing paper ballots, and violations related to vote counting and surveillance protocols. The election of MPs from several parties, including GERB, "There Is Such a People" (TISP), Revival, "Morality, Unity, Honor" (MECH), and DPS-New Beginning, was deemed illegal. Among those affected were Alexander Nenkov, Pavlin Yotov, and Nikola Dzhambazov of GERB, as well as Emil Trifonov, Ivan Kyuchukov, and Alexander Markov from TISP. The election of 16 MPs, including those from Revival, MECH, and DPS-New Beginning, was ruled unlawful.
The court also addressed discrepancies in vote counts. Following the recalculations, the threshold for entering parliament was set at 97,390 votes, and the "Greatness" party surpassed this threshold with 97,497 votes, thus securing a seat in parliament. In contrast, the "DPS-New Beginning" party saw a decrease of 1,110 votes, while GERB, Revival, and BSP-United Left also experienced losses. The recalculated results showed small increases for "There is Such a People," MECH, and "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB).
The decision highlighted several significant violations, particularly the lack of paper ballots in some sections, which led the court to rule certain votes invalid. In particular, the Vratsa, Montana, and Pleven regions were flagged for irregularities, including votes cast by a single individual for multiple ballots. Despite these violations, the court concluded that the election results did not warrant a full annulment of the election but did require the removal of the 16 MPs involved.
The Constitutional Court’s investigation included the examination of over 2,200 votes out of the total 12,000 ballots cast in the 7,000 polling stations. The court emphasized the importance of accurate vote processing and the transparency of the electoral system, acknowledging the impact these violations had on public trust in the electoral process.
As a result of these rulings, the "Greatness" party now enters the parliament, while several other parties experience setbacks in their parliamentary representation. This decision comes after ongoing discussions regarding election transparency and the need for reforms in the electoral system to ensure fairness and legitimacy.
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