All Bulgarian nationals who are at least 18 years of age by polling day, are not interdicted and are not serving a custodial sentence have the right to vote in elections of National Representatives.

Elections of National Representatives for an ordinary National Assembly are scheduled by the President of the Republic, no less than 60 days before polling day.

National Representatives are elected in accordance with a proportional representation election system from candidate lists registered by parties, coalitions and nomination committees in 31 multi-member constituencies. When voting for a candidate list of a party or coalition, voters may mark their preference for one candidate on the candidate list.

Voters vote in the area where they have their permanent address. If you have a permanent address in one area and a current address in another area, you may request to be put on the electoral roll in the area where you have your current address.

Persons with permanent disabilities preventing them from exercising their right to vote at the polling station may express their wish to vote by means of a mobile ballot box.

Persons who are abroad on polling day may vote in a voting station established abroad, by producing a valid identity document and submitting a declaration completed on a standard form which is provided to voters in the relevant voting station.

All Bulgarian nationals who are at least 18 years of age by polling day, are not interdicted and are not serving a custodial sentence, have the right to vote in elections for the President and Vice-President.

Elections for the President and Vice-President of the Republic are scheduled by the National Assembly not less than 60 days before polling day.

The President and Vice-President of the Republic are elected simultaneously by a majority system from national candidate lists registered by parties, coalitions and nomination committees. The President and the Vice-President are elected on the same candidate list.

Voters vote in the area where they have their permanent address. If you have a permanent address in one area and a current address in another area, you may request to be put on the electoral roll in the area where you have your current address.

Persons with permanent disabilities which prevent them from exercising their right to vote at the polling station may express their wish to vote by means of a mobile ballot box.

Persons who are abroad on polling day may vote in a voting station established abroad, by producing a valid identity document and submitting a declaration completed on a standard form which is provided to voters in the relevant voting station.

All Bulgarian nationals who are at least 18 years of age by polling day, have been resident in the Republic of Bulgaria or in another Member State of the European Union for at least the last three months, are not interdicted and are not serving a custodial sentence, have the right to vote in elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union may vote in elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria if they are at least 18 years of age by polling day, have continuous or permanent residence status in the Republic of Bulgaria, have resided in the Republic of Bulgaria or in another Member State of the European Union for at least the last three months, and are not deprived of the right to vote in the Member State of which they are nationals.

Elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria are held in conformity with the election period determined by the Council of the European Union and are scheduled by the President of the Republic not less than 60 days before polling day.

Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria are elected in accordance with a proportional representation election system from national candidate lists of parties, coalitions and nomination committees. When voting for a candidate list of a party or coalition, voters may mark their preference for one candidate on the candidate list.

Voters vote in the area where they have their permanent address. If you have a permanent address in one area and a current address in another area, you may request to be put on the electoral roll in the area where you have your current address.

Persons with permanent disabilities which prevent them from exercising their right to vote at the polling station may express their wish to vote by means of a mobile ballot box.

Persons who are abroad on polling day may vote in a voting station established abroad, by producing a valid identity document and submitting a declaration completed on a standard form which is provided to voters in the relevant voting station.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union, who wish to vote in elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria, are required to submit a declaration under Article 359 of the Election Code in order to be put on the electoral roll.

The declaration is completed on a standard form approved by the Central Election Commission and has to be submitted at the municipal administration in the area where the persons have their home address in the Republic of Bulgaria (the address at which the persons have been registered upon their stay in the Republic of Bulgaria or in another Member State of the European Union for at least 60 days for the last three months preceding the date of conduct of the elections) not less than 40 days before polling day. Nationals of another Member State of the European Union, who have once submitted a declaration in previous elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria and have been included in Part II of the electoral roll, shall not submit a new declaration and are put automatically on the electoral roll for the next elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria. A new declaration has to be submitted only when any of the circumstances declared has changed.

On polling day, nationals of another Member State of the European Union must prove their identity before the election committee at the polling station by producing an identity card or a passport and a residence certificate. They are admitted to vote after showing their personal number, their identity card or passport number, their residence certificate number and registration date as stated in the certificate entered in the electoral roll. Before voting, voters must present a declaration completed on a standard form to the effect that they have not voted in the same elections of Members of the European Parliament.

All Bulgarian nationals who are at least 18 years of age by polling day, have resided in the area concerned for at least the last six months, are not interdicted and are not serving a custodial sentence, have the right to vote in the elections of municipal councillors and mayors.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union may vote if they are at least 18 years of age by polling day, have the status of continuous or permanent residence in the Republic of Bulgaria, have resided in the area concerned for at least the last six months (have a residence address in the territory of the municipality or mayoralty concerned from a date six months before the date of the election, and persons who have changed their registered address after that date have the right to vote in the area of their previous address registration, where they are on the electoral rolls), and are not deprived of the right to vote in the Member State of which they are nationals.

Elections of municipal councillors and of mayors are scheduled by the President of the Republic not less than 60 days before polling day.

Each voter is entitled to one vote for a municipality mayor, and one vote for a municipal councillor from a candidate list. In cities subdivided into boroughs (Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna), voters are also entitled to one vote for a borough mayor. In the mayoralties, voters are also entitled to one vote for a mayoralty mayor, if such an election is held.

Voters vote in the area where they have their permanent address. If you have a permanent and current address in different localities and your current address has been for the last six months before election day in the locality concerned, you may request to be entered on the electoral roll at the current address.

Persons with permanent disabilities preventing them from exercising their right to vote at the polling station may express their wish to vote by means of a mobile ballot box.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union wishing to vote are put on the electoral roll under the procedure in Article 408 of the Election Code. The procedure for putting such nationals on the electoral roll is identical with the procedure applicable to elections of Members of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union present a declaration completed on a standard form to the municipal administration in the area where they have their home address in the territory of the area concerned not less than 40 days before polling day, in which they declare:

1. their citizenship;

2. their home address during the last six months before polling day in the area of the municipality or mayoralty concerned;

3. the particulars from their identity card or passport and their personal number.

Nationals of another Member State of the European Union who have once submitted a declaration under paragraph 1 and have been included in Part II of the electoral roll are put automatically on Part II of the electoral roll for the next elections of municipal councillors and mayors. A new declaration does not have to be submitted. A new declaration has to be submitted only when any of the circumstances declared has changed.

On polling day, these voters prove their identity before the election committee at the polling station by producing an identity card or a passport and a residence certificate. The election committee at the polling station shall admit them to vote in line with the following procedure:

1. Nationals of another Member State of the European Union are admitted to vote after showing their personal number, their identity card or passport number, the residence certificate number and the registration date as stated in the certificate entered in the electoral roll.

2. If any discrepancy is detected in any of the names of voters who are nationals of another Member State of the European Union as they appear in the identity card or passport or, respectively, the residence certificate, where the home address matches, the particulars from the identity card or passport or, respectively, from the residence certificate, shall be entered in the column marked ‘Notes’ of the electoral roll.

3. The residence certificate of nationals of another Member State of the European Union is left with the chairperson or, respectively, with a member of the election committee in the polling station until the voters have signed the electoral roll (the roll).

There are national and local referendums.

All Bulgarian nationals with voting rights, who have a permanent address in the territory of the country by the day when a national referendum is scheduled, have the right to vote in such referendum.

All Bulgarian nationals with voting rights, who have a permanent or present address in the territory of the municipality, borough, mayoralty, settlement or quarter concerned, have the right to vote in a local referendum.

A national referendum

A national referendum is held for the purpose of asking citizens to decide directly on matters of national importance falling within the competence of the National Assembly.

The following matters may not be decided through a national referendum:

1. any matters falling within the competence of a Grand National Assembly;

2. the scheduling of elections of President of the Republic; electing and releasing a Prime Minister; effecting changes in the Government; establishing, transforming and closing down ministries; electing and releasing the heads of the Bulgarian National Bank and other institutions specified by law; resolving matters concerning the declaration of war and the making of peace; declaring martial law or another state of emergency in the entire national territory or in part of that territory; hearing and adopting the annual reports of the Supreme Court of Cassation, of the Supreme Administrative Court and of the Prosecutor General on the application of the law and on the operation of the courts, the prosecutor’s office and the investigative bodies as submitted by the Supreme Judicial Council; hearing and adopting activity reports of any bodies that are elected, in whole or in part, by the National Assembly.

3. any matters concerning the amount of taxes, fees and labour and social-security payments and contributions;

4. any matters concerning the State budget;

5. any matters concerning the rules of internal organisation and procedure of the National Assembly.

Any codes and laws which comprehensively regulate the subject matter in a particular field may not be referred to a referendum in their entirety.
A referendum on any matter governed by international treaties concluded by the Republic of Bulgaria may be held before these treaties have been ratified.

When a national referendum is held, one or several questions may be put to the vote.

A decision adopted by a national referendum is not subject to post-approval by the National Assembly. The National Assembly passes an act where this is necessary for the implementation of the decision.

If the National Assembly fails to bring any of its acts in line with the will expressed by the voters within three months after the result of the referendum has been declared, this act will no longer be applied in the part conflicting with the decision of the referendum.

A local referendum

A local referendum is held in a municipality, borough or mayoralty for the purpose of making a direct decision on matters of local importance that, by law, fall within the competence of the bodies of local self-government or the bodies of the borough or municipality.

The following matters may not be decided through a local referendum:

1. any matters concerning the municipal budget;

2.  any matters concerning the amount of local taxes and fees;

3. any matters concerning the rules of internal organisation and procedures of the Municipal Council.

When a local referendum is held, one or several questions may be put to the vote.

A decision adopted by a local referendum is not subject to post-approval by the Municipal Council. The Municipal Council passes an act where this is necessary for the implementation of the decision.