Bulgaria's Parliament debates sweeping changes to the Electoral Code

The National Assembly will examine six draft laws to amend Bulgaria's Electoral Code. Proposals from five parliamentary groups aim to expand machine voting, including full‑scale electronic counting with paper‑ballot verification, and to remove current limits on the number of overseas polling stations and the "Abroad" constituency. Other measures seek to drop residency requirements for mayoral and municipal council candidates, tighten voter identification with document‑scanning devices, and introduce video monitoring at various stages of the voting process.

Additional reforms target the Central Election Commission, shortening its mandate to four years and limiting party positions for its members, while shifting the final tabulation of results from the private company Informational Services AD to state institutions. The agenda also includes a vote on ratifying an agreement on the implementation of the Energy Charter Treaty signed in Brussels earlier this year.