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6 clusters · 15 sources · 24 days · First seen · Last updated

Categories: POLITICS

Bulgaria election reforms and election date set

Entities: Progressive Bulgaria · Ivan Yanev · Bulgarian Parliament · Central Electoral Commission · Georgi Horozov

Overview

The Bulgarian Parliament has continued its overhaul of the Election Code ahead of the 2026 presidential race. The Legal Committee’s July 28 package removed the cap on overseas voting sections, required electronic machines for precincts with over 300 voters, and introduced special provisions for blind and visually‑impaired voters. The National Assembly formally adopted these changes on July 30, confirming the shift to mandatory electronic voting in larger sections while retaining paper ballots for smaller precincts and special institutions.

On July 29 the Assembly also set the presidential election for 25 October 2026, with a possible runoff on 1 November 2026 if no candidate reaches an absolute majority. The vote will be held two to three months before the incumbent’s term ends on 22 January 2027. The same session designated machine voting as the primary method for the election and scheduled the parliamentary summer recess for 5 to 23 August 2026.

The reforms are backed by Progressive Bulgaria, Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Change, while GERB‑SDS, DPS and Revival voiced opposition. The Central Election Commission, led by Georgi Horozov, will implement training and an electronic register for election staff to support the new electronic voting infrastructure.

Timeline

  1. 4 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Bulgarian Parliament adopts election code overhaul and new judicial council selection rules

    Bulgaria's parliament reinstated full machine voting, removed the foreign voting district and set new provisions for visually impaired voters, while also adopting rules governing the selection of Supreme Court‑

  2. 5 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Bulgaria Guarantees Secret Ballot for Blind Voters with New Election Code Amendments

    Bulgaria’s Election Code now mandates audio‑guided voting machines, larger fonts and tactile ballot templates, securing secret ballots for blind and visually‑impaired voters, announced by MP Ivan Yanev.

  3. 6 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Bulgarian Parliament Approves Full Machine Voting in Large Polling Stations

    Bulgaria's parliament passed amendments requiring machine voting in sections over 300 voters, set for the Oct 25 presidential election, while keeping paper ballots for smaller or special stations.

  4. 7 days ago

    [POLITICS] 5 sources
    Bulgaria Abolishes Cap on Overseas Voting Sections in Election Code Reform

    Bulgaria’s election law overhaul removes the 20‑section overseas voting cap, expands electronic voting, abolishes the “foreign” district, and tightens poll‑data sanctions.

  5. 11 days ago

    [POLITICS] 2 sources
    Bulgaria's DPS pushes to replace voting machines with optical scanners

    Bulgaria's DPS proposes amending the Election Code to replace current voting machines with optical scanners, citing security concerns and aiming to restore electoral trust.

  6. 28 days ago

    [POLITICS] 5 sources
    Bulgaria's Parliament Pushes Major Reforms to Election Code

    Bulgarian MPs propose restoring machine voting, dropping the foreign district and overseas limits, and adding a double‑check of electronic results ahead of the presidential election.

Sources

america.actualno.com · asia.actualno.com · australianpolicejournal.com.au · burgasinfo.com · fakti.bg · gastronomia.unlp.edu.ar · iskra.bg · petel.bg · podtepeto.com · ruse24.bg · safenews.bg · society.actualno.com · sofia.actualno.com · standartnews.com · varna24.bg

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history