Legal Affairs Committee

It is unlikely for Parliament to decide on proposed changes to Bulgaria's electoral system, with the fate of the proposal hinging on attitudes of the next legislature.

In November, 2.5 million Bulgarians backed in a referendum a change of the currently used proportional representation system, opting for a switch to majority voting.

The party of outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has submitted the draft of a new Electoral Code that provides for a switch of Bulgaria's voting system.

The text has been created by GERB lawmakers Danail Kirilov and Dimitar Lazarov.

Lawmakers have voted to drop out of their agenda a bill foreseeing amendments to Bulgaria's electoral system, in line with a referendum held in November.

The move has been backed by a majority of 90 to 76 lawmakers, with three abstentions, news website Dnenvik.bg has said.

No further date has been set for the item to be restored onto the agenda.

Bulgarian MPs are set to return from their Christmas and New Year recess on Wednesday for their last parliamentary season before the current legislature is dissolved.

The change of Bulgaria's electoral system was one of the thorny issues Parliament was expected to deal with this week and possibly for several more days until its dissolution.

The Legal Affairs Committee with Bulgaria's Parliament will debate and vote on Tuesday on a bill aimed at a switch to a first-past-the-post electoral system.

The move follows calls from political parties, activist groups, and the national ombudsman to take into consideration a recent referendum.

Outgoing Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has rejected claims from several parties that Parliament should not adopt a disputed anti-corruption bill as it is "running out of time."

Kuneva, who has overseen the work of a team drafting the bill, has tied support of her Bulgarian of Citizens Movement (DBG) party for any new government to the adoption of the bill.

Bulgaria's Parliament has rejected a proposed cut in the duration of election campaigns to 21 days from 30 after the draft change to election rules stirred protests from voters and opposition politicians.

The proposal was made last week by the Legal Affairs Committee in Parliament as part of changes to the Electoral Code.  

The Bulgarian parliament is expected to deliver its opinion on the introduction of remote electronic voting on Thursday.

On Tuesday, the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee approved the introduction of electronic voting.

The issue was the subject of a referendum which was held simultaneously with the local elections on October 25 last year.

Bulgarian MPs are set to hold a debate on the introduction of online voting after a referendum in October showed strong support for the step.

Lawmakers in the Legal Affairs Committee with Bulgaria's Parliament have rejected constitutional changes supported by the Justice Ministry.

Amendments were narrowly (5-6) voted down in a Tuesday sitting of the committee which comes ahead of a plenary session later this week.

Though committee votes are not binding, they often point to how MPs will act at the plenary.