HANDBOOK

on civil education
A project by the Centre for European And
International Studies with the nancial support of the
NGO Programme in Bulgaria under the Financial
Mechanism of the European Economic Area
2009-2014
Choose to Participate
Print and design: "Tzerh 2" OOD
reklama@tzerh.com, 02 4224029
A project by the Centre for European And International Studies supportd by the NGO Programme in Bulgaria
under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area 2009-2014
The present Handbook has been created with the financial support of the NGO Programme in Bulgaria under
the EEA Financial Mechanism. The Centre for European And International Studies bears the sole responsibility
for the contents of this Handbook and by no means the Handbook can be regarded to represent the official
position of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Operator of the NGO Programme
in Bulgaria.
CONTENTS
CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE
ABOUT US
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP
CIVIL SOCIETY
POLITICAL PARTIES
ELECTIONS
EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS
ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN
ELECTIONS
2 - 3
04
page
06
page
08
page
10
page
12
page
16
page
18
page
20
page
21
page
Based on the information and recommendations collected we developed a test
specialized educational module for high school students aimed at presenting the
ideas like active citizenship and elections (and especially the concept of their freedom
and fairness according to Bulgarian law and international standards) in an attractive
manner. Te module was a test one since its contents were presented to high school
students in three Bulgarian towns. We changed the module in between lessons to
reect feedback we received.
Of course, two school periods are highly insucient to implant lasting ideas on active
citizenship and free and fair elections, the project team invited the most active students
to take part in a seminar to deepen their knowledge and put it into practice. Te
participants were asked to make their own monitoring of the 2013 general elections,
took part in a simulation game to discover electoral violations, and lastly the willing
students were registered as observers of the 2014 European Parliament elections. We
count on the fact that the students we have taught will become active multipliers of
the ideas for free and fair elections and active citizenship.
To ensure further sustainability of the project results we developed a teaching aid by
the young for the young which presents the main aspects of free and fair elections
and active citizenship in an attractive Q&A manner. Te aid is distributed as printed
material, but to guarantee that the sid will reach our main target, the young people,
we developed a free mobile application for Android devices. We also presented the
teaching module to the authorities responsible for study programs to consider its
inclusion in study plans and materials,
In short we are convinced that raising awareness is paramount to building and
strengthening civil society and promoting its contribution to social justice, democracy
and sustainable development. Tat is why we target young people those who are
now forming ideas, those who are enthusiastic to participate, those who are most
motivated to secure better future for their country.
We believe that Choose to Participate is a step towards a new generation of citizens
with active mindset and proactive attitude towards the future of Bulgaria.
CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE (project summary) 4 - 5
Today most young people do not care about politics (in the broadest sense), do not
see the point in participating in society and do not know what legal opportunities they
have to inuence the decision-making process such as taking part in elections and/
or being active in NGOs. We believe that in part this lack of enthusiasm stems from
the lack of information on how state governance works and where the citizens (and
in particular) young people are in the process. We think that one of the methods to
raise awareness and interest of young people is to improve their knowledge through
concerted eorts to teach civic education in Bulgarian high schools. We work on
the premise that awareness regarding the opportunities for inuencing the decision
making process, provided to each citizen, will also boost the aspirations of young
people to become active citizens and be a dynamic part of society.
Secondly, we are convinced, that one of the main elements of democracy are the free
and fair elections and a prerequisite for that is clear idea what is allowed and what is
not during voting, what are our rights, obligations and opportunities to react when
encountering an election violation. We count on the fact that the awareness and the
enthusiasm of young people guarantee that Bulgaria will continue to progress until it
reaches the highest international standards in democratic elections.
In this sense, the Choose to Participate project of the Centre for European and
International Studies with the nancial support of the NGO Programme in Bulgaria
under the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism, has the goal to foster
democratic values, especially among young people, by raising their awareness for
their rights and obligations as voters, by implanting lasting ideas what free and fair
elections entail, to motivate young people to monitor processes in society and prepare
them to counteract every violation of basic rights including the right of free and fair
elections that young people have spotted.
We will achieve this goal in several aspects. First we gathered information we analyzed
the existing state approved programs regarding civic education and we identied the
areas that require more eorts; we will analyze best practices from other countries
and will pinpoint methods and contents which works in regards to overcoming the
existing problems; we asked young people online whether they lack something in
their education and what are their proposals to overcome these decits. Lastly we
tried to engage all sides to the educational process teachers, representatives of the
Ministry of Education and regional inspectorates, students and parents in three towns
to measure how the material taught implants active citizenship ideas in the minds of
high school students in Bulgaria.
ABOUT US 6 - 7
Te Centre for European and International Studies Foundation was established in
2008 by a group of young people united by their common ambition to work together
for a better future for Bulgaria.

Our main mission is to contribute for strengthening the European democratic
and social values in Bulgaria and to work for the adequate positioning of Bulgaria
in Europe and the world. We believe that we can propose some good ideas to
support the transformation of our country into a modern European state on todays
international theatre.
In our work we try to promote active citizenship and to support the forming of
civic consciousness of the young people and to help spreading the European values
among active youth.
Te scope of our activities includes trainings and discussions on important
European policies with the participation of prominent experts on these topics,
promoting young peoples research and supporting publications of young people
in compendiums on these issues distributed freely to universities and state
administration; round table discussions and dialogue between youth NGOs and
decision makers.
In our activities we strive to include young people and provoke their civic activity,
responsibility and ideas. We do so not only through our own projects but also
through supporting their own ideas, projects and European priorities.
In line with its Statutes, CEIS aims to help young people to unfold their potential
and to form a truly European mind set. For this reason, for six years in a row, we
have organized a competition for an annual scholarship awarded to the author of
the best essay on a European issue.
Our most successful projects include several research projects with the participation
of young experts Bulgaria in Europe and the World (2009), Europe Looks to
the East: Eastern Partnership a Year Later (2010), Western Balkans Accession
to the EU: Mission (Im)Possible (2011), and Arab Spring: Hopes for Change and
Challenges before CFSP (2012), Bulgaria in EU's Common Foreign and Security
Policy after 2014 New Instruments, More Opportunities? (2013).
In 2011, in partnership with Sredetz and Studentski districts, CEIS completed the
Act Naturally project with the nancial Support of Europe 2011 Programme of
Soa Municipality and published a youth guide with the same name. During this
project we developed a methodology for tourist products and gained experience in
polling public opinion. We made good use of that during the 19 until 19 project.
Te 19 until '19 project was aimed at presenting the tourist potential of Soa in
a non-typical, more attractive way, showing 19 less known tourist attractions of
Soa. Tat was done in a beautifully constructed and illustrated with numerous
artistic photographs book guide wearing the same name 19 until '19. Te project
was realised with the nancial support of Soa municipality, Europe Programme
2013 and was in support of the nomination of Soa and the South-west region for
European Capital of Culture in 2019.
In the beginning of 2013, CEIS successfully carried out the Eat. Learn. Europe.
project with the nancial support of the Youth in Action Programme. We wanted
to help youngsters from seven countries to overcome prejudice formed for many
decades and centuries and to help them build skills for multicultural dialogue. We
did that through cooking together our national foods. In total 21 youngsters from
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Italy, Poland and Turkey took part in this
project in the picturesque Bulgarian town of Devin.
For more information about our activities and our future projects, follow us on our
website www.cemi-bg.org.
W
h
a
t d
o
e
s
active citizenship m
ean?
ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP
To be a citizen means to have
a lasting (political and legal)
connection to a country; to enjoy
certain rights and honor certain
obligations towards your state and
obey the sovereign power of this
particular country.
To be an active citizen means to
participate actively in community life by employing the rights and obligations granted
by the state through Constitution and laws.
As a student in a school., citizen of a certain city
or local community you could pay attention to the
problems of the school/community/city; you could
think about solutions to those problems; you could
nd supporters for your proposals and resolve the
particular problem. Here is an example of active
citizenship: you believe that your schoolyard (or the
park in your community) is too dirty. What do you
do? Find some friends and clean up. Take it a step
further and put some signs requesting that the place is kept clean.
If a problem is big enough, you will need a larger group of supporters. Tis
might be NGOs, political parties, trade unions (unions of workers in a
particular company or industry branch). Teir main goals are to protect the
interests of their members. Every member of such organization may oer
proposals for policies to bring about a positive change in the direction we
want.
Another option for bringing about change in society is to participate in
elections. Every Bulgarian citizen who has reached 18 years of age may vote.
Under certain conditions every citizen may be voted a member of the local
council, Member of Parliament, and even President. By running in elections
you take the personal responsibility to change Bulgaria for the better.
?
How can
you be
an active citizen
8 - 9
Sure, if you are at least 18 years
old. Te right of peaceful assembly,
of meetings and demonstrations
is guaranteed by the Bulgarian
Constitution and the Assemblies,
Rallies and Demonstrations Act.
If you would like to express your
opinion by gathering a limited
number of supporters you have
convened a meeting. A rally is a mass meeting outside, and a demonstration
is a rally that is moving from point A to point B.
You may protest about anything except forceful revision of the Constitutional
order in Bulgaria or its territorial integrity. Tere may not be a protest that
will threaten the public order or infringe the rights and freedoms of other
citizens. Tere may not be protests during the night (between 22.00 and 6.00
oclock) or protests when there is a high risk of spreading diseases. Tere are
some places (such as military areas) where protests are prohibited.
Protests, especially those taking place outside, are subject to specic
regulations. Te people organizing protests should notify in writing the
municipal authorities that an assembly/rally/demonstration is taking place
at least 48 hours before the event (24 hours of notication are acceptable
in case of emergency. Te notication should include information regarding
the people who organize the protest, the goals, the time and place of the
assembly or the route of the demonstration. Te municipal authorities may
impose additional requirements such as notication regarding the estimated
number of expected attendees and security measures planned.
Whether you are organizing a protest or just attending one, remember that
you should never wear a mask or/and weapons (even a glass bottle may hurt
someone); you should not appear drunk or drugged, you should not hinder
the normal course of the protest, and you should obey the public order
(that excludes cursing, ghts, throwing objects that may hurt someone). If
you do not abide by these common sense requirements you might be kindly
requested by the people organizing the protest to leave the event. Te police
may be less polite do not forget that in case you violate the rules you may
be ned with 50 to 300 leva and even be arrested!
I dont like the way
my school/my town/
my country is ran?
May I protest?
CIVIL SOCIETY
In the broadest possible sense
the civil society is the self-
consciousness and the initiative
of the citizens in a state.
The civil society is the living
consciousness of a nation;
it comes to live whenever
everyone or at least a large
group of people unite behind
a common cause of shared
interest or a resolution of a major problem and stand up for it before the
competent authorities.
More often these are dierent in type and cause non-governmental
organizations, civil associations and civil initiatives.
Civil society can only exist wherever the relations between authorities
and subjects is strong, balanced and complements one another; wherever
individual interest is recognized and common interest; wherever voluntarism
is a point of reference.
Civil society is the strongest
instrument for defending individual
and group interests before state
authorities. The existence of civil
society is an indicator of higher
level of development of a nation.
The active civil society and its
members are likely to be bound
by solidarity and stand together to
defend their interests.
10 - 11
A non-governmental organization is an
organization (or a legal entity) established to
support society or society groups and is not-for-
prot. In other words, unlike companies, NGOs
are not set up to make money but rather to
spread certain values. NGOs may be established
in private or public interest depending on the
target beneciaries the whole society or just
a group. For example an association aiming to
promote arts at your school is an NGO in private
benet, while an association against bullying in
Bulgarian schools is in public benet.
More information on NGOs and the
requirements for setting one may be found in
the Act on Not for Prot Legal Entities. If you
are interested what NGOs operate in your area
and what they do, you may check out the Central
Register of Not for Prot Legal Entities for Public Benet at the Ministry of
Justice.
Every person of legal age or legal entity regardless of its residence (local
or foreign) may set up an NGO in Bulgaria. Every person of legal age may
become an NGO member.
Basically we may group NGOs into associations and foundations, and both
can be established in public or private benet. An association has members,
while a foundation has property. Te associations are required to have at
least two ruling bodies a managing board and an assembly of all members,
while the foundation is required only to have a managing body. Tere are
requirements for a minimum number of founding members of an association
(3 to 7 depending on the goal). Foundations may be established by one single
person.
WHAT IS
civil society?
What are the conditions for development of civil society?
Why is
developed civil
society important?
What is a
non-governmental
organization
/NGO/?
Who can set up an NGO?
Are there diferent types of NGOs?
Who is representing civil society?
POLITICAL PARTIES
A political party is a
voluntary organization
which means that its
members have associ-
ated on their own free
will. Te dierence be-
tween a political party
and all other organiza-
tions is that only political parties may run in elections and compete for po-
litical power. Tis way they express the political interests of parts of society.
12 - 13
political parties came into existence outside the parliament and later, when
universal surage was introduced, these parties started participating in the
ght for power.

Another way of forming parties resulted from the desire of the representatives
of the estates in the parliament to establish alliances on dierent issues that
had to be resolved. To improve their coordination, they started forming
political organizations within the parliamentary institutions. Tat is how
the parliamentary parties emerged.
Te most important
function of the con-
temporary democrat-
ic political parties is
to mediate. Now what
does that mean? Every
single person has cer-
tain interests, desires,
and needs. It is very
dicult however for a
single person to obtain all that they need by themselves. For example at
home we need an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to deliver internet con-
nection to our home computer. Te same way, political parties deliver to
us the right of political representation. And it is important that we are po-
litically represented because the important decisions aecting all of us are
ultimately taken at political level. Examples of such decisions are whether
le sharing via torrents is legal or what subjects would be taught at schools.
The parties, with their political programs, ideas, values, manifestos,
collect our ideas, needs, and desires. Parties then participate in elections
and if they win they make sure to achieve them through governance of
the state. Well, at least in the ideal scenario; in practice things might be
different.
What is
a political party?
How can I become a party member?
To become a party member a citizen should have voting rights. Tey are
guaranteed in Bulgarian Constitution for most people over 18 years of age.
Representatives of some professions are not allowed to be members of po-
litical parties as the jobs they perform are of great importance for the whole
society and not just separate political groups.
Te emergence of political parties is
a long and complicated process. Te
political parties in England and the USA
in the 18th and the 19th centuries are the
closest to political parties that we know
today.
With the development of crafts and
industries, gradually more and more
people started producing dierent goods
and oer dierent services. At a certain
point they grew into such a signicant
part of society that they started
demanding that their interests become
political (that is that their interests be represented). So these people
united to form a political organization to achieve that goal. Tat is how the
How did
parties
emerge?

How do parties represent our interests?
What are
the functions of political parties?
Individualism, free market and economic activity (close to right-wing);
Support for collective human and social rights, religious tolerance and
diversity (close to left-wing);
Pursuit of decentralization, deregulation and deconcentration of public
policies and activities from the state towards civil society.
Left-wing parties include socialists and social-democratic parties.
Extreme left-wing parties (like communist parties) reject political pluralism and
private property, and defend state-regulated, centralized and planned economy.
Right-wing parties include Christian-democratic and conservative parties in
Europe. Extreme right-wing parties are nationalistic (and neo-fascist) parties.
Strong legal and social order;
Free initiative and entrepreneurship;
Abstention from interfering in economy and market;
Defense of religious values;
Reservations towards collectivism, cooperation, community and active social
services and state aid.
POLITICAL PARTIES 14 - 15
To easily distinguish parties from one
another we often divide them into right-
wing, left-wing, and center parties. In
practice there are so many varieties
combining traits of dierent types. In
Bulgaria, the political parties abide by the
Political Parties Act. As of 2014 there are
400 registered parties in Bulgaria alone.
Stronger commitment of the state to the economy;
Support of the regulating, social and redistributive functions of the state;
Commitment to community and equality;
Little support of unregulated market models and relations.
What we can do with our
constitutionally guaranteed political
rights is to give a vote of condence to
a political party because we believe it
deserves based on the ideas that this
party represents are close to our own.
We may also be pro-active and become
a member of a political organization.
It might seem far-fetched but it really
comes down to your willingness
to participate. Ultimately you may
become our representatives who will take good decisions to make Bulgaria a
better place to live.
POLITICAL PARTIES
key to active
citizenship?
What are
the main types
of political parties?
Left-wing parties stand for:
Right-wing parties stand for:
Centre parties stand for:
ELECTIONS 16 - 17
Majoritarian system this is a system in which the candidate who received
most votes in a single constituency (local or national) wins. Tis is a system
in which we vote for personalities. Tis system could be:
Proportional system this is a system in which the seats in collective
bodies are distributed based on the votes candidates receive. Tis is a system
in which we vote for party lists.
Mixed-member proportional representation system half of the
candidates are elected by majority voting and the other half are elected under
the proportional system.
Every proportional system has a
threshold dened as the minimum
number of votes a party needs to win
in order to receive a single seat in a
collective body. With low turnout the threshold is low.
Absolute majoritarian a candidate is elected if they receive 50% of all
votes + 1 more;
Relative (rst past the post) a candidate is elected if they receive most
votes, regardless of the number of candidates.
Preferential a variation of the proportional system. On the ballot there
is a place to mark a vote for political party but also a place to vote for a
specic candidate on that party list. Te winning candidates are not the
ones on top of the list but those who receive most votes within the list.
Regular after the legally dened term of oce of the state body expires.
Presidential these are absolute majoritarian elections. Tey are held every
ve years. Te President and the Vice-President are allowed a maximum of
two terms.
Parliamentary these are proportional preferential elections. Te term of
oce of Bulgarian MPs is four years.
Local election for mayors (absolute majoritarian elections) and local council
(proportional elections) held every four years.
European these are single-constituency proportional preferential elections
held to elect 17 MEPs from Bulgaria every ve years.
Depending on regularity:
Referendum is a direct vote of citizens of a state,
region, municipality on an issue of social signicance.
Every Bulgarian citizen enjoying electoral rights and
fullling legal requirements has the right to participate
and vote.
What is
the electoral threshold?
Types of elections
What is
a referendum?
What types of elections are held in Bulgaria?
WHAT ARE the types of electoral systems?
Early when the term of oce is terminated earlier then the law provides.
Extraordinary under extreme, often crisis conditions when urgent
elections of new representatives is needed.
Sequential or run-o elections in absolute majority systems where rst
vote failed to produce a winner according to the electoral rules.
National and local. As EU Member State, Bulgarian citizens have the right to
participate in European referenda.
To hold a national referendum, the supporting signatures of 500 000 Bulgarian
citizens (of legal age and fullling voting requirements) are required.
To hold a local referendum, the initiative may come from the mayor, 1/5th of
the local councilors or a committee that has collected the signatures of 1/5th
of the population having voting rights.
What type of referenda are there in Bulgaria?
EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS 18 - 19
The European Council is composed by the heads of state and governments
(presidents or prime ministers) of all member states and the President
of the European Commission. The Council has a permanent President
elected for two and a half years (with the right to be reelected once). The
European Council sets the goals of the European Union and EU course of
action to achieve those goals. The Council gives impetus to main political
initiatives and EU priorities and decides on delicate matters that the
EU Council of Ministers could not decide upon. The European Council
discusses current international affairs under the Common Foreign and
Security Policy. The European Council cannot adopt legislations rather
it finalizes each summit with a set of conclusions which summarize the
main messages of the discussions. The European Council decides mostly
with consensus.
Te Council of the European Union (a.k.a. Council of Ministers) comprises
of ministers of governments of the Member-States. Depending on the agenda
the Council of Ministers sits in dierent congurations. For example, if the
Council will discuss environmental issues the environmental ministers will be
invited for a session of the Environment (ENVI) Council. Similarly there will
be Economic and Financial Aairs (ECOFIN) Council and Competitiveness
(COCOM) Council and so on. States take turns to chair the Council for six
months (so called Presidency). To ensure continuity the dierent Presidencies
work closely in groups of three. Te Troikas prepare a working program for
the Council for 18 months. Bulgaria will chair the Council in 2018.
What are the powers of the European Commission?
Te Council has ve major powers:
Together with the Council of the EU, it exercises the legislative power it
adopts laws. Te adoption of laws by the only body directly elected by citizens
guarantees the democratic legitimacy of the European legislation.
Exerts democratic supervision over all institutions of the EU (and especially
the Commission). It has the power to approve (or reject) the candidate for the
European Commission President and the nominees for the commissioners
and has the right of vote of non-condence to the Commission as a whole.
Together with the Council of the EU, it has powers regarding the European
budget and may inuence the way the EU spends its money. After a complex
budget procedure is completed, the Parliament may approve or reject the
budget as a whole.
To adopt EU legislation (in many cases together with the EU).
To coordinate policies of member states in dierent areas (such as the
economic sphere).
To develop Common Foreign and Security Policy based on the directions
given by the European Council.
To conclude international agreeements between the EU and one or more
countries or international organizations.
To adopt EU budget together with the European Parliament.
Drafts the proposed legislative acts which are then sent to the Parliament
and the Council for discussion and adoption;
Leads and carries out EU policies and manages the EU budget;
Supervises the implementation of the EU legislation together with the EU
Court;
Represents the EU on the international scene.
What are the powers of
the European Parliament?
What are the main powers of the Council of the
European Union?
What is the European Council?
Yes, the basic rules are outlined in the
Constitution and further developed in
the Electoral Code. Te current act was
adopted by the National Parliament
early in 2014 and came into force on
the 5th of March 2014. All activities
pertaining to elections are carried out in
accordance with the Code setting the
date, electoral campaigns, composing
of electoral committees, preparation of
ballots, forming of polling stations in Bulgaria and abroad, the election day,
appeals, etc.
According to the Constitution and the acting Electoral Code, the President
calls the elections for parliament, local authorities or European Parliament
at least 60 days before the date on which the elections will take place. Te
presidential elections are called by the National Assembly again 60 days in
advance.
Central Electoral Committee, Regional Electoral Committee and Section
Electoral Committee.
Representatives of parties and coalition
represented in the National Parliament,
as well as the parties and coalitions with
representatives in the European Parliament as
long as they desire to do so.
ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN 20 - 21
An electoral campaign is
the organized attempt of
dierent candidates or
organizations to inform and
mobilize parts of society
with voting rights to vote
for them in parliamentary,
local or other elections. Tis
happens at a specic phase
before the election date.
During that time we witness concentrated advertising of dierent candidates.
What are the main tasks
in an electoral campaign?
What is
an electoral
campaign?
Opinion polls;
Public relations;
Meetings of candidate/candidates of a certain political party or coalition
with voters;
Organizing dierent events;
Publishing and distribution of campaign materials.
Creating of sustainable image of the candidate;
Massive information campaign to establish good positioning of the
candidate;
Two weeks before the last day of the campaign, activities to underline the
dierence between the candidate and their main opponents.
What are the main stages of an electoral campaign?
What is CEC, REC, SEC?
ELECTIONS
Is there an act
to regulate elections?
WHO MAY call elections?
Who are
the members
of the electoral
committees?
Yes. In parliamentary, presidential and European elections CEC appoints
SEC abroad. Teir composition is based on the same principles as the
composition of SEC in Bulgaria and the only dierence is that one of SEC
members must be a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Aairs.
electoral committees the subsidiarity principle applies. Tis means that
all complaints (or problems) are resolved at the lowest possible level. For
example if you see someone campaigning just outside the polling station
you may submit a complaint to SEC and it can immediately decide on the
matter. Te decision can be appealed before REC (MEC) and in turn their
decision can be appealed before CEC.
Voting can take place only based
on electoral lists, prepared in
advance by the local authorities
with the help of the Ministry
of the Interior and directorate
general Civil Administration
and Administrative Services.
Te lists of people according to their permanent addresses are based on data
for the people with voting rights in the respective municipality or region. Te
lists are signed by the mayor of the municipality and stuck in a public place
close to the respective polling station, and published online, well in advance,
allowing citizens to check whether they are included in the list.
In case you cannot nd your name on the list, you may request to be added
to it with written declaration to the municipal authorities. If you cannot nd
your name on the election date you may request that SEC chairman includes
your name on the list.
ELECTIONS 22 - 23
CEC is in charge in ensuring that the election are
carried out in accordance to the law. CEC supervises
the Regional (or Municipal) Electoral Committee
and the Section Electoral Committee, drafts rules
regarding dierent aspects of the campaign, makes
all decisions regarding procedures, methods for
distributing votes. It is the authority deciding on
complaints, disputes, etc. It registers all parties, coalitions, initiative
committees, independent candidates. It approbates the ballot and the
number for each candidate, as well as sections and their numbering. CEC
is appointed by the President for ve years. Te composition of the CEC
as well as other electoral committees should reect the proportion of the
parties and coalitions represented in the parliament.
Te Regional Electoral Committee is responsible for all elections except
the election of local authorities when a Municipal Electoral Committee
is formed. Teir powers are similar and the dierences stem from the
dierence in the type of elections.
REC (MEC) is appointed by CEC and is responsible for the elections in
its corresponding region. REC (MEC) registers supporters of participating
parties, coalitions and candidates. It also provides ocial copies of the
results to registered participants. When parliamentary or local elections
are held candidate lists should be registered with REC or MEC respectively
otherwise they will not be allowed to run regardless of their registration
with CEC. Te same rules apply to independent candidates.
What
does CEC do?
What is SEC?
Are there other committees?
How can I
check if I can vote?
It is the electoral committee that directly supervises the election day, the
voters and the violations in the election day within a polling station. It is
appointed by REC (MEC) and is responsible before the appointing body.
Te SEC can add voters to the voting list under certain conditions. SEC
can also decide on complaints. In fact in regulating the powers of the
Where do you vote?
You always vote at a specic place called
polling station. You can nd which is your
polling station in the electoral list. You
can also check your polling station online at the CEC website - www.cik.bg.
What is REC (MEC) responsible for?
24 - 25
Yes, you may. If you
cannot vote at the
polling station at your
permanent address,
you may vote based on
your current address.
To do so, you have to
le a request before
the local authorities
and be added in the
electoral list. In case
you want to vote in
local elections you
have to prove that
you have been living at your current address for at least 6 months. Te
procedure for students is a bit easier. In all elections except local ones you
may vote in the place where you study only showing your valid studentska/
uchenicheska knizhka (student book) and sign a declaration that you will
not vote anywhere else.
SEC starts counting the votes. Before that, SEC appoints one person who will
touch the ballots on the table. Tis one person opens the ballot box, drops
the ballots on the table and starts arranging them in piles according to their
validity, the vote and if they have preference marked. All other SEC members
observe carefully but are not allowed to take part in the process. After sorting
the ballots the results are tallied and entered in a protocol.
Te protocol contains the total number of voters, the number of invalid
and valid votes, the number of votes for each party/coalition/independent
candidate and the number of ballots with preferential voting. Te protocol
must be signed by all members of SEC even if they do not agree with the
ndings (reservations are allowed). Ten the SEC chair and secretary (which
should be from dierent parties) take the protocol to REC/MEC where all
protocols are gathered. REC/MEC checks SEC protocol and give the chair
and secretary a special receipt with results.
May I vote
someplace else?
What happens when the election day is over?
Yes. Tere are three ways to do so to be an observer,
to be a supporter of a party/coalition/candidate or be
a journalist.
In all three cases you will receive a special badge
which will give you access to the whole polling
station with the exception of the dark room (if there
is a voter inside) of course. Apart from observing and
having access everywhere, you may also witness the
opening of the ballot box, the counting of votes and
you may request a stamped copy of the protocol.
Every Bulgarian citizen of legal age who is a part of an NGO, which should
register you with CEC. Foreign citizens may also be observers, but they are
registered by the Ministry of Foreign Aairs.
Supporters are in the same position the only dierence being that they are
proposed by parties or independent candidates and their main task is to
defend the interests of their proponents.
It is your civic duty to inform the authorities or the members/chair of SEC
that you have witnessed a violation.
What if I see a violation?
What are the violations that will be sanctioned according to the current
law and international standards?
May I
observe
the election day?
Who may be an observer or supporter
of a political party?
Campaigning in election day, buying of votes, controlled vote, illegal
campaigning in media masked as advertising or news;
Inadmissible campaigning, derogating the prestige and reputation of the
candidate or leadership of political parties.
ELECTIONS