2 in 1 elections in our country. Europe votes for 720 new MEPs

Today, Bulgarian citizens elect 240 representatives in the 50th National Assembly, as well as 17 representatives to represent them in the European Parliament. This is the fifth early parliamentary vote, and it also coincided with the holding of the European Parliament elections in the country. In the history of Bulgaria, both types of vote are held simultaneously for the first time, noted Elena Nikolova from BTA.

In the country, the election day will start at 7:00 a.m. and end at 8:00 p.m., no later than 9:00 p.m. if there are non-voting voters in front of the section. For sections outside Bulgaria, voting starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m., respectively at 9:00 p.m. local time.

The Auckland and Christchurch sections in New Zealand were the first to open - 10:00 p.m. Bulgarian time on June 8 (7:00 a.m. on June 9 local time). Due to the time difference, the election day abroad will end at the latest in San Francisco and California, USA - at 6:00 a.m. Bulgarian time on Monday - June 10.

According to the final voter lists, 6,138,050 voters will have the right to vote in the elections for members of the European Parliament, and 6,593,275 for the National Assembly, noted the author of BTA.

Thus, today we elect 17 deputies to the European Parliament, where there are a total of 720 political representatives from all over Europe. For the Bulgarian elections, we are voting for 240 deputies.

There are 12,898 polling stations in the country, excluding the stations in medical facilities, places of detention and other social institutions. Of these 12,898 sections with mobile section election commissions, voting will take place in 322. In 9,346, voting will take place with machines. Outside the country, there are 769 sections in 60 countries, and in 245 of them, voting will be done by machines. In 151 of them, voting will take place only for the National Assembly, and with 94 machines, voting will take place for both elections

In 388 sections there will be a double vote - for members of the European Parliament from Bulgaria and for the people's representatives in the Bulgarian National Assembly. They are in 57 countries. The three countries where there will be no elections for the European Parliament are New Zealand, Singapore and Iceland.

Video surveillance and video recording will be available in 11,635 sections in the country.

On Tuesday, the spokesperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC), Rositsa Mateva, announced that there are 6,100 candidates for people's representatives, and 1,506 are candidates simultaneously in two districts. Mateva added that there were 1,826 women and 4,274 men.

In the elections for the European Parliament, there are 418 candidates, 131 are women, and 287 are men. In total, the candidates for both types of elections are 6,518, and 332 are on the lists for both the National Assembly and the European Parliament.

32 political formations will participate in the National Assembly elections - 20 parties, one independent candidate and 11 coalitions, and they will fight for 240 seats. And 31 political formations will participate in the vote for the European Parliament - 20 parties, one independent candidate and 10 coalitions, and the candidates will fight for 17 seats in the European Parliament.

The CEC determined by lot the numbers of the parties and coalitions on the ballot. They are the same for the elections for the National Assembly and for the European Parliament.

In the two-in-one vote, voting will be done by paper and machine, and according to the Electoral Code, the vote is equal. The color of the ballots for the National Assembly and that for the European Parliament will be different - green ballots for the Bulgarian Parliament and blue for the European Parliament.

There is no preferential vote abroad in the National Assembly elections.

In the European Parliament vote, the territory of the country and the sections outside it form one multi-member constituency, with all voters choosing from the same lists of candidates. To win at least one seat as a member of the European Parliament, political parties, coalitions or independent candidates must receive at least one seventeenth of all actual votes.

There is a preferential vote, which gives voters the opportunity to nominate their preferred candidate within the party of their choice. The number of preferences determines the order in which the candidates are elected in the party lists.

Who can vote in the elections for the Bulgarian National Assembly?

Bulgarian citizens who have reached the age of 18 on election day, who are not placed under interdiction and are not serving a prison sentence, can vote in elections for national representatives.

In the elections for national representatives, Bulgarian citizens who meet the conditions to vote can vote in any polling station outside the territory of Bulgaria of their choice, regardless of whether the country is a member of the European Union. For these elections, polling stations are opened outside the diplomatic and consular representations of the Republic of Bulgaria in countries that are not members of the European Union.

Who can vote in the European Parliament elections from Bulgaria?

Bulgarian citizens who have reached the age of 18 years old on the day of the election, who have lived for at least the last three months in Bulgaria or another member state of the European Union, have not been placed under interdiction and are not serving a prison sentence.

Citizens of another member state of the European Union can vote if they have turned 18 years old on election day, have the status of long-term or permanent residents in the Republic of Bulgaria, have lived for at least the last three months in the country or in another member state of the European Union, and are not deprived of the right to vote in the Member State of which they are citizens.

In the elections for members of the European Parliament from the Republic of Bulgaria, Bulgarian citizens who meet the conditions to vote can vote on June 9, 2024 in any polling station in a member state of the European Union, of their choice.

In countries that are not members of the European Union, polling stations for the elections for members of the European Parliament from the Republic of Bulgaria are opened and voting takes place only in diplomatic and consular missions of Bulgaria.