Bulgaria budgets 22 million leva for May 2014 European Parliament elections
The Bulgarian government has budgeted 22 million leva (about 11 million euro) for the country’s May 25 2014 European Parliament elections.
Bulgaria’s voters will be elected 17 members of the European Parliament, out of the total 751 MEPs being elected by the 28 member states of the EU between May 22 and 25.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) will come up with specific estimates of items such as the cost of printing ballot papers. These are submitted to the finance ministry.
The CEC has decided that heads of regional election commissions will be paid 931 leva, deputy heads 888 leva and ordinary members 846 leva.
The state will allocate 40 000 leva to political parties that do not have state subsidies – effectively meaning those that do not currently have seats in the National Assembly or the European Parliament – for them to conduct media campaigns, while independent candidates will get 5000 leva.
Meanwhile, the CEC said that voters who want to vote in Bulgaria’s European Parliament elections at a location away from their permanent residential address have until May 10 to submit a declaration that they intend to do so. The application is made at the relevant municipality.
Under current law, Bulgarians have the right to vote in the country’s European Parliament elections only if they have had a permanent address in Bulgaria or another EU member state for the past three months.
Voters’ rolls are to be posted on the websites of municipalities by May 14 and errors should be corrected by May 17.
The deadline for people with disabilities who would be unable to go to a polling station on election day to apply to use a mobile ballot box in their municipality of residence is May 4. Applications can be submitted via the CEC website.
Full-time students can vote in the place where they are studying. A prior application to do so is not required, but on election day, they must present official student registration documentation and sign a declaration that they have not voted and will not vote elsewhere, the CEC said.
Nomination committees that want to put forward an independent candidate for election to the European Parliament have until April 14 to apply. A deposit of 100 leva has to be paid to central Bulgarian National Bank.
The deadline for registration of political parties and coalitions is April 9. Candidate lists have to be finalised by April 22.
(Photo of the European Parliament in Strasbourg: EC Audiovisual Service)
