Election observation report | Doc. 12796 | 24 November 2011

Observation of the presidential election in Bulgaria (23 and 30 October 2011)

Bureau of the Assembly

Rapporteur : Mr Brian BINLEY, United Kingdom, EDG

1. Introduction

1. Following an invitation from the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly decided, at its meeting of 20 June 2011, to set up an ad hoc committee to observe the presidential election in that country scheduled for 23 October 2011. At its meeting on 24 June 2011, the Bureau appointed me as Chairperson of the ad hoc Committee.

2. Following the proposals of the political groups, the ad hoc committee was composed as follows:

Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD)

Márton BRAUN, Hungary

Janusz RACHOŃ, Poland

Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy

Socialist Group (SOC)

Oleksiy PLOTNIKOV, Ukraine

Gisela WURM, Austria

European Democrat Group (EDG)

Brian BINLEY, Chair of the delegation, United Kingdom

Ganira PASHAYEVA, Azerbaijan

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

Lenka ANDRÝSOVÁ, Czech Republic

Group of the Unified European Left (UEL)

Kateřina KONEČNÁ, Czech Republic

Dimitrios PAPADIMOULIS, Greece

3. In accordance with Article 15 of the co-operation agreement signed on 4 October 2004 between the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), Mr Oliver Kask, Judge at the Tallinn Circuit Court was invited to join the ad hoc committee as an adviser.

4. Mr Dronov, Mr Torcatoriu and Ms Gastl provided secretarial support to the ad hoc committee.

5. The ad hoc committee conducted its mission from 19 to 24 October 2011. It met with members of the Bulgarian delegation to the Assembly, the Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the Deputy Chair of the Supreme Administrative Court, the Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, candidates and/or their representatives, as well as representatives of the media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (see Appendix 1 for the programme of the visit). On election day, the ad hoc committee was split into seven teams and observed elections in and around Sofia, in Katunica, Kustendil and Plovdiv. All in all, more than 100 polling stations were observed.

6. As no candidate attained an absolute majority in the first round, on 23 October 2011, a second round took place on 30 October 2011. The ad hoc committee did not deem it necessary to observe the second round, as it was considered unlikely that the shortcomings observed would be remedied in time for the second vote.

7. The ad hoc committee was briefed by the Limited Election Observation Mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR) during its first day of meetings and it appeared likely that a joint press conference would be held and a joint statement issued. However, further developments (OSCE/ODIHR sought to assume the role of lead observer institution) led to separate statements (albeit similar in substance) and separate press conferences (see Appendix 2 for the Parliamentary Assembly's statement and Appendix 3 for the OSCE/ODIHR statement).

8. The ad hoc committee would like to thank the Bulgarian Parliament and its staff for the excellent co-operation during the preparation for and conduct of the observation mission.

2. Political and legal context

2.1. Political background

9. On 15 July 2011, the Bulgarian Parliament set the date of the presidential election for 23 October 2011. President Georgi Parvanov issued a decree calling municipal elections for the same day (the municipal elections were observed by the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities).

10. Following the 2009 parliamentary elections, the center-right party “Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria” (GERB) formed a minority government. Its leader, Mr Boyko Borisov, took office as Prime Minister. The GERB minority government has remained in power since then, sometimes aligning itself with the Blue Coalition (made up of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Democrats for Stronger Bulgaria (DSB), and three other smaller parties), with the Order, Law and Justice party (RZS) or with the far-right Ataka party. The Coalition for Bulgaria (consisting of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and several other smaller parties) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) represent the opposition.

11. Most interlocutors of the ad hoc committee in Sofia expressed concerns over possible vote-buying and voter intimidation. However, it appeared that this particular concern was linked more to the municipal elections than to the presidential ballot. Roma citizens were considered to be the most vulnerable in terms of vote bullying and vote buying. Wealthy municipalities with business interests at stake (e.g. the areas on the Black Sea coast) were also mentioned as potential areas for vote-buying practices, but again, this appeared to be a concern only for the municipal elections.

12. The ad hoc committee was told that the price for a vote ranged from around 20 BGN (€10) in the poor Roma areas to 200 BGN (€100) in the wealthy regions with high economic interests at stake. However, neither observers nor the media could substantiate or disprove such claims.

13. The Bulgarian authorities would appear to consider vote buying as an issue of great concern, as the Criminal Code was amended in 2009 to increase penalties for such practices. Parties were also obliged by law to include warnings in all campaign materials that vote buying is a criminal offence.

14. Concerns regarding the potential abuse of administrative resources were also raised during the different meetings of the ad hoc committee. In this context, it was noted that the Minister of the Interior was also the Head of the electoral campaign for GERB.

2.2. Legal framework

15. The legal framework regulating the elections includes the Constitution (as interpreted by the Constitutional Court), the Electoral Code, the Law on political parties, the Criminal Code, the Law on administrative procedure and the Law on meetings, rallies and manifestations.

16. A new Electoral Code was adopted in 2011. After reviewing it, the Venice Commission concluded that it provided a sound legal basis for the conduct of democratic elections, but there still was room for improvement, in particular in the following areas: the possibility for persons belonging to ethnic minorities to use their mother tongue during campaigning, the provisions regulating campaigning in the mass media, the possibility to recount ballots and the definition of the rights and responsibilities of observers.

3. Election administration and voter and candidate registration

3.1. Election administration

17. The elections were administrated by the Central Election Commission, 264 municipal election commissions (MECs) and 11 807 precinct election commissions (PECs). The CEC was appointed by the President in April 2011, upon nominations from political parties and coalitions. It is only active when elections are due to take place and does not have an independent budget.

3.2. Voter registration

18. Voters’ lists were extracted from the population register maintained by the Civil Registration and Administrative Services Department of the Ministry of the Regional Development on the basis of voters’ permanent addresses.

19. There were 6 933 748 voters registered for the presidential election. Having in mind that, according to the 2011 census, Bulgaria’s population is 7 364 570, the ratio between the number of inhabitants and the number of registered voters raises concerns as the difference is much smaller than the normal number of non-voting age inhabitants of a country. This issue is, moreover, referred to in the Joint Opinion on the Electoral Code of Bulgaria by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR, as it appeared to open up the possibility for ballot box stuffing.

20. Some interlocutors of the ad hoc committee expressed concerns with regard to the accuracy of the voters’ lists, explaining that Bulgarian citizens who had left the country but had not informed the Bulgarian authorities about this were still included on the voters’ lists with their former Bulgarian addresses.

21. A total of 161 polling stations were established abroad, in 58 countries. Eligible voters could vote abroad upon presentation of an official identity paper and after signing a declaration that they had not already voted.

3.3. Candidate registration

22. Political parties, coalitions and nomination committees (for the independent candidates) had to register with the CEC. Candidate nominations had to be accompanied by both a collection of support signatures (at least 7 000) and a monetary deposit of 10 000 BGN (around €5 000).

23. Eighteen teams of president and vice-president candidates were registered. Two presidential and seven vice-presidential candidates were women.

3.4. Methods of voting

24. According to the new Electoral Code, voters had to mark the ballot with an X in blue ink only. Failure to do so would render ballot papers invalid.

25. Ballot papers were to be put in transparent ballot boxes as such, without an envelope. Since the ballot papers were to be stamped both before and after voting, this raised concerns about the secrecy of the vote.

4. The campaign period and media environment

4.1. The campaign and its financing

26. The official election campaign started 30 days before election day.

27. According to the law, the election campaign has to be conducted in the Bulgarian language only. However, those candidates who decided to use another language had no problems, as this requirement was not enforced.

28. Overall, the campaign was calm and low-key and public interest was rather low. However, it has to be noted that the campaign environment was negatively affected by anti-Roma protests following the killing of a young ethnic Bulgarian man in Katunica.

29. The new Electoral Code provides a limit of 2 million BGN (about one million euros) per candidate for the presidential campaign. It also clarifies the authority of the National Audit Office to enforce regulations.

4.2. Media environment

30. Freedom of speech is guaranteed by the Constitution. The Criminal Code includes, however, provisions criminalising defamation and on combating incitement to hatred, which, in principle, could restrict freedom of expression, as accusations may lead to prison terms of up to four years. It was alleged that this has led to self-censorship.

31. Bulgaria has a pluralistic media environment.

32. The Electoral Code has no provisions for free airtime for the presidential candidates for the first round (only for the closing addresses and debate appearances for the second round). Any appearances on the state-owned Bulgarian National Television (BNT1) and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) were to be paid for, the rates being identical for all candidates. However, this allegedly led to inequality between candidates as they did not dispose of the same level of funding. It would appear that around half of the paid coverage of the campaign was purchased by three candidates: Ivaylo Kalfin (Socialist Party), Rosen Plevneliev (GERB) and Volen Siderov (Ataka).

33. Even if not bound by the same rules as BNT1 and BTR, commercial broadcasters and newspapers had a similar approach towards the electoral campaign. In general terms, the paid coverage was not recognisable as such as it was often included within the news programmes. This obviously had a negative effect on the quality of information available to the public.

5. Complaints and appeals

34. The CEC was to decide on complaints by a two-thirds majority. This meant that, in some cases, the CEC had difficulties in reaching a decision. According to the Electoral Code, such cases are tantamount to a “refusal” to take a decision. Two such cases of “refusal” were appealed to the administrative courts, which ruled that it was unlawful for the CEC to refuse to take a decision and that it could therefore take the necessary decision by simple majority.

6. Election day

35. On election day, the ad hoc committee was split into seven teams and observed elections in and around Sofia, in Katunica, Kustendil and Plovdiv.

36. We were impressed by the overall orderly and peaceful conduct of the vote. The PEC members were familiar with the procedures. No major issues were reported to the members of the ad hoc committee.

37. Our observers, however, noticed that there was some confusion concerning the opening time of the polling stations, for example in Sofia some PECs opened at 6 a.m. while others opened at 7 a.m. The reason for this appeared to be last-minute information from the CEC, changing the opening time from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Some PECs were aware of this change while others were not.

38. In Sofia, it was also observed that many PECs received a number of ballot papers which was clearly less than the number of voters registered on the lists (around 30-40% less). This was explained by the fact that a high number of voters had not been expected and that, in the event that the number of voters came close to the number of ballot papers received, more ballot papers could be delivered immediately by the municipal authorities following a telephone call. In other PECs, also in Sofia, the exact number of ballot papers received was not known but was considered by the PEC members to be more or less equal to the number of voters registered on the lists.

39. In several PECs in Plovdiv, the situation was quite the opposite, as PECs reported having received a number of ballot papers slightly superior to the number of registered voters.

40. The PECs visited provided voters with blue ink ballpoint pens and adequate information on how to mark the ballot papers was clearly displayed.

41. In some PECs queues of voters were seen, most probably due to the fact that the voting process was time consuming and most PECs had only one or two polling booths.

42. On 26 October 2011, the official results of the elections were made public (Appendix 4: CEC Decision No. 1349/26 October 2011)

43. The election ended inconclusively as none of the candidates gained more than half of the valid votes cast.

44. The CEC determined the two candidates who gained the most votes as being:

1. Rosen Asenov Plevneliev (and Margarita Stefanova Popova for Vice-President), GERB Political Party: 1 349 380 votes;

2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin (and Stefan Lambov Danailov for Vice-President), Bulgarian Socialist Party: 974 300 votes.

45. These candidates contested a second round of election, conducted on 30 October 2011.

46. The results of the second round of the election, on 30 October 2011, which the ad hoc committee did not observe for reasons set out in paragraph 6 above, were as follows:

1. Rosen Asenov Plevneliev (and Margarita Stefanova Popova for Vice-President), GERB Political Party: 1 698 136 votes;

2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin (and Stefan Lambov Danailov for Vice-President), Bulgarian Socialist Party: 1 531 93 votes.

47. The CEC declared Rosen Asenov Plevneliev President-Elect and Margarita Stefanova Popova Vice- President-Elect (Appendix 5: CEC Decision No. 1459/01.11.2011).

7. Conclusions and recommendations

48. The ad hoc committee welcomed Bulgaria’s continuous progress towards the implementation of its commitments vis-à-vis the Council of Europe in the field of democratic elections. In this connection, it noted, in particular, Bulgaria’s co-operation with the Assembly in the framework of the post-monitoring dialogue, as well as with the Council of Europe's Venice Commission.

49. The ad hoc committee was impressed by the dedication and efficiency of Bulgarian electoral administrators at local level. It further noted the arrangement put together by the Supreme Administrative Court to cater for election-related complaints and appeals. The ad hoc committee was heartened by the overall orderly and peaceful conduct of the vote.

50. However, the ad hoc committee felt that there remained certain aspects that needed to be further addressed.

51. The new electoral code, while a clear step forward, has left open a number of important issues. The recommendations made by the Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR regarding the complaints and appeals procedures in the Election Code need to be addressed. All complaints with regard to elections should be considered in a short time-frame and according to a similar procedure. The decisions of the CEC should not be considered under ordinary administrative court procedures as was the case in some issues.

52. Candidates' access to the media is in a clear need of drastic improvement to ensure a level playing field for all concerned.

53. A clearer distinction should be made by the media as far as editorial and paid political advertisements are concerned.

54. The CEC should conduct its work with greater transparency and its composition should be such as to ensure broader public confidence in the process. Thought should be given to the possible establishment of a permanent, independent and non-political CEC.

55. A more thorough training of members of lower level election commissions (MECs and PECs) should be organised in the run-up to elections. This would enable the PECs, in particular, to administer better the voting process so it can be conducted speedily and queuing of voters can be avoided.

56. The ad hoc committee would suggest that the Bulgarian authorities consider establishing a dedicated voters’ register as opposed to a register formed from population lists compiled by local authorities.

57. Arrangements for out-of-country voting should also be significantly improved to ensure genuinely universal suffrage.

58. A more lenient approach in the Electoral Code to campaigning in languages other than Bulgarian would be welcome; candidates should be allowed to use other languages de jure and not only de facto.

Appendix 1 – Programme (20-24 October 2011)

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Thursday, 20 October 2011

10:30 – 11:30 Ad hoc committee meeting

11:30 – 12:30 Meeting with Mr Vadim Zhdanovich, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited ElectionObservation Mission in Bulgaria with the participation of:

Mr Stefan Krause, Deputy Head of Mission/Political Analyst

Ms Francine Barry, Election Analyst

Mr Richard Bainter, Legal Analyst

Ms Elma Šehalić, Media Analyst

Ms Salome Hrvaskoski, National Minorities Analyst

Ms Lolita Čigāne, Campaign Finance Analyst

Mr Carlo Rappalardo Fischer, Long-Term Observation Co-ordinator

12:30 – 13:30 Meeting with the Bulgarian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly

15:00 – 16:30 Meeting with Ms Krassimira Medarova, Chairperson of the CEC, and several of her collaborators

17:00 – 18:30 Meeting with Mrs Veneta Markovska, Deputy Chairwoman of the Supreme Administrative Court, Ms Maria Radeva, Secretary General and Mr Mario Dimitrov, Judge

Friday, 21 October 2011

9:00 – 10:00 Meeting with Ms Zinaida Zlatanova, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria (accompanied by Ms Dora Krumova, Head of the Political Department, and Mr Borislav Dimitrov, Advisor)

10:00 – 11:15 Meeting with media representatives

11:15 – 11:30 Briefing by Mr Oliver Kask, Venice Commission

11:30 – 13:00 Meeting with NGOs

14:30 – 18:30 Meeting with presidential candidates and/or their representatives:

Coalition for Bulgaria (Mr Yanaki Stoilov, Ms Aglika Videnova, Ms Nevena Alexieva)

Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) (Mr Tsvetomir Paunov, Mr Krasimir Cipov)

Coalition Union of Right Forces (Mr Emanuil Yordanov and Mr Latchezar Toshev)

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) (Mr Hristo Biserov, Mr Rushen Riza, Mr Moustafa Karadaya)

Order Law Justice (RZS) (Mr Alexander Dimitrov, Mr Slavi Vasilev, Mr Angel Dimitrov)

Party Ataka (Mr Dimitar Stoyanov)

Ms Meglena Kuneva (accompanied by Mr Kalin Tomov)

United People’s Party (Ms Maria Cappone, Ms Nadiya Mironova, Mr Anatoli Assenov)

Saturday, 22 October 2011

10:00 Deployment

Sunday, 23 October 2011

All day Observation of elections

Monday, 24 October 2011

09:00 – 10:00 Ad hoc committee meeting – debriefing

12:00 Press Conference

Appendix 2 – Presidential election in Bulgaria: statement by PACE observer delegation

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Strasbourg, 24.10.2011 – “The observer delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) welcomes Bulgaria’s continuous progress towards the implementation of its commitments vis-à-vis the Council of Europe in the field of democratic elections. In this connection, the delegation notes, in particular, Bulgaria’s co-operation with PACE in the framework of post-monitoring dialogue as well as with the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.

The delegation was impressed with the dedication and efficiency of Bulgarian electoral administrators. It further noted the arrangement put together by the Supreme Administrative Court to deal with election-related complaints and appeals. The delegation was heartened by the overall orderly and peaceful conduct of the vote.

At the same time, there remain certain aspects that need to be further addressed.

The new electoral code, while a clear step forward, must have been adopted quickly leaving open quite a few important issues.

Contestants’ access to the media is in clear need of drastic improvement to ensure a level playing field for all concerned.

A clearer distinction has to be made by the media as far as editorial and paid political advertisements are concerned.

The Central Electoral Commission should conduct its work with greater transparency and its composition should be such as to ensure broader public confidence in the process. Thought should be given to the eventual establishment of a permanent, independent and non-political electoral commission.

Bulgarian authorities may wish to consider establishing a dedicated voters’ register, as opposed to a register formed from the population lists compiled by local authorities.

The process of registration of the candidates, whilst remaining rigorous, should be made less dependent upon timing, as the current system has a particularly unhelpful impact upon independent candidates.

Arrangements for out-of-country voting should be significantly improved to ensure real universality of suffrage.

A more lenient approach to campaigning in languages other than Bulgarian would be welcome.

The delegation was in Bulgaria from 20 to 24 October 2011 at the invitation of the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament. It had an intensive programme of meetings with presidential candidates and/or their representatives, the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission, top representatives of the Supreme Administrative Court, the Bulgarian PACE delegation, a representative cross-section of civil society and the media, the Head of the EC Representation in Bulgaria and with the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.

PACE stands ready to provide further assistance to Bulgaria in its endeavours along the road of further enhancing democracy.”

Members of the PACE delegation: Brian Binley (United Kingdom, EDG), Head of the Delegation, Márton Braun (Hungary, EPP/CD), Janusz Rachón (Poland, EPP/CD), Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), Oleksiy Plotnikov (Ukraine, SOC), Gisela Wurm (Austria, SOC), Ganira Pashayeva (Azerbaijan, EDG), Lenka Andrýsová (Czech Republic, ALDE), Katerina Konečná (Czech Republic, UEL), Dimitros Papadimoulis (Greece, UEL).

Appendix 3 – OSCE observers assess Bulgarian elections positively, but raise concerns about vote-buying, media coverage

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SOFIA, 24 October 2011 – In a statement issued today, the observer mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) made an overall positive assessment of yesterday’s presidential and municipal elections, but said continued reform is needed to address concerns such as pervasive allegations of vote-buying and the near absence of any editorial coverage of the campaign in the media.

“These elections provided voters with a wide choice of political options, and they took place in an environment which showed respect for fundamental freedoms,” said Vadim Zhdanovich, the Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Limited Election Observation Mission.

But he stressed that further efforts are needed to enhance the integrity of the election process and increase public confidence.

The observers noted that the elections were administered in an overall professional manner and on the basis of new legislation that provides a sound basis for the conduct of democratic elections.

The registration process was inclusive, and candidates were able to campaign freely and without impediments.

But persistent and widespread allegations of vote-buying undermined confidence in the election process, despite the authorities’ efforts to combat such practices.

Almost all campaign coverage by the media was paid for by the contestants, as provided by law. This resulted in the near absence of independent editorial coverage or analysis of the campaign in the public and private media. The predominance of paid campaign coverage impacted negatively on the level of information available to voters.

Provisions restricting the use of minority languages in the campaign disadvantage minority groups and appear to be at odds with OSCE commitments. There were allegations that minorities, especially Roma, were particularly susceptible to undue influence such as vote-buying and pressure. Some contestants used nationalistic and inflammatory language against minorities.

Voting, counting and tabulation appeared to proceed in a calm, orderly and professional manner, with a few procedural problems noted. Processing of voters was often slow, resulting in queues and in an extension of voting hours.

For further information contact:

Jens-Hagen Eschenbächer, OSCE/ODIHR,

+48 603 683 122 or +359877553670, [email protected]

Appendix 4 – CEC Decision No. 1349-ПВР/26 October 2011

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Central Election Commission – Decision No. 1349-ПВР

Sofia, 26 October 2011

SUBJECT: Declaring the results of the elections of President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, conducted on 23 October 2011, for the separate candidate lists proposed by parties, coalitions of parties and nomination committees in the order of appearance on the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President of the Republic

In pursuance of Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Article 10 (2) of the Election Code, elections of President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria were conducted on 23 October 2011.

On polling day, out of a total number of 6,933,748 voters within the meaning of Article 42 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, 3,593,751 voters participated in the polls.

In pursuance of Article 93 (4) in conjunction with Article 93 (3) and Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Items 1 and 2 of Article 26 (3) and Article 254 (1) and (2) of the Election Code, the Central Election Commission

HAS DECIDED:

The Commission hereby declares the results of the elections of President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, conducted on 23 October 2011, for the separate candidate lists proposed by parties, coalitions of parties and nomination committees in the order of appearance on the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President of the Republic as follows:

No. 1 Meglena Shtiliyanova Kuneva and Lyubomir Hristov Hristov, Nomination Committee: 470,808

No. 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev and Margarita Stefanova Popova, GERB Political Party: 1,349,380

No. 3 Sali Shaban Ibryam and Valentina Ivanova Gotseva, EDINSTVO NATIONAL MOVEMENT Political Party: 41,837

No. 4 Roumen Dimitrov Hristov and Emanouil Nikolov Yordanov, UNION OF RIGHT-WING FORCES Coalition of Parties: Union of Democratic Forces, United Agrarians, Democratic Party, Gergyovden Movement, Union of Free Democrats, Radicals Bulgarian Democratic Union, Bulgarian Democratic Forum: 65,761

No. 5 Maria Vasileva Cappone and Nikolai Hristov Kissyov, UNITED PEOPLE’S PARTY Political Party: 30,665

No. 6 Stefan Georgiev Solakov and Galina Asenova Vassileva, NATIONAL FRONT FOR SALVATION OF BULGARIA Political Party: 84,205

No. 8 Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin and Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY Political Party: 974,300

No. 9 Volen Nikolov Siderov and Pavel Dimitrov Shopov, ATAKA Political Party: 122,466

No. 12 Aleksei Iliev Petrov and Nikolai Lichkov Georgiev, Nomination Committee: 31,613

No. 13 Nikolai Nankov Nenchev and Zheko Stoyanov Ivanov, BULGARIAN AGRARIAN PEOPLE’S UNION Political Party: 9,827

No. 14 Atanas Markov Semov and Polya Nikolova Stancheva, ORDER, LAWFULNESS, JUSTICE Political Party: 61,797

No. 15 Pavel Mihailov Chernev and Anelia Dimitrova Delcheva, PARTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION Political Party: 8,081

No. 16 Dimiter Demirov Koutsarov and Kamelia Kirilova Todorova, Nomination Committee: 6,989

No. 17 Krassimir Donchev Karakachanov and Daniela Prodanova Simidchieva-Dimitrova, VMRO – BULGARIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT Political Party: 33,236

No. 18 Andrei Ivanov Chorbanov and Angel Boichev Mirchev, BULGARIAN DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY Political Party: 6,340

No. 19 Nikolai Kirilov Vassilev and Vladimir Emil Savov, Nomination Committee: 5,633

No. 20 Svetoslav Emilov Vitkov and Ventsislav Emilov Mitsov, Nomination Committee: 54,125

No. 21 Ventsislav Yordanov Yossifov and Emiliyan Kroumov Dimitrov, Nomination Committee: 7,021

No President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria were elected in the elections conducted on 23 October 2011 because more than one-half of the voters participated in the voting but none of the candidates gained more than one-half of the valid votes.

The Commission has determined the top two candidates on lists who gained the most votes, who are to contest a new election according to Article 93 (4) in conjunction with Article 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Commission hereby declares the names of the candidates between whom the new election is to be conducted:

1. Rosen Asenov Plevneliev and Margarita Stefanova Popova, GERB Political Party: 1,349,380

2. Ivailo Georgiev Kalfin and Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY Political Party: 974,300

A new election of President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria is to be conducted on 30 October 2011.

CHAIRPERSON: rassimira Medarova

SECRETARY: Sevinch Solakova

DEPUTY CHAIRPERSONS:

Elena Markova

Maya Andreeva

Maria Moussorlieva

Roumyana Siderova

Sabrie Sapoundjieva

MEMBERS:

Anna Manahova

Erhan Chaoushev

Bisser Troyanov

Ivanka Grozeva

Valentin Boikinov

Krassimir Kalinov

Ventsislav Karadjov

Mariana Hristova

Vladimir Hristov

Paskal Boyadjiiski

Gergana Marinova

Ralitsa Negentsova

Emanouil Hristov

Silva Dyukendjieva

* Published at 02:53 hrs on 27 October 2011

Appendix 5 – CEC Decision No. 1459/01.11.2011

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Central Election Commission – Decision No 1458-ПВР

Sofia, 01.11.2011

REGARDING: Announcing the final results of the election for President and Vice President of the Republic and the names of the President-Elect and the Vice President-Elect of the Republic of Bulgaria.

On October 23, 2011 elections were held for President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, where out of the total number of voters, which according to the tenor of Art. 42, Para 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria amounted to 6,933,748 voters, 3,593,751 have voted according to the signatures laid in the election rolls.

Pursuant to Art. 93, Para 4 in connection with Para 3 and Art. 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Art. 26, Para 3 (1) and Art. 254, Para 1 and 2 of the Election Code, the Central Election Commission announced the results by ticket for all candidates in the elections for President and Vice President of the Republic held on October 23, 2011 in the order of their entry in the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President of the Republic, as follows:

№ 1 Meglena Shtilyanova Kuneva & Lyubomir Hristov Hristov, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 470,808 votes

№ 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova, Political Party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria GERB – 1 349 380 votes

№ 3 Sali Shaban Ibryam & Valentina Ivanova Gotseva, Political Party NATIONAL MOVEMENT UNITY – 41,837 votes

№ 4 Rumen Dimitrov Hristov & Emanuil Nikolov Yordanov, Coalition UNION OF RIGHT-WING FORCES – Union of Democratic Forces, United Agrarians, Democratic Party, Gergyovden Movement, Union of Free Democrats, Bulgarian Democratic Union Radicals, Bulgarian Democratic Forum – 65,761 votes

№ 5 Maria Vasileva Kapon & Nikolay Hristov Kisyov, Political Party UNITED PEOPLE’S PARTY – 30,665 votes

№ 6 Stefan Georgiev Solakov & Galina Asenova Vasileva, Political Party NATIONAL FRONT FOR SALVATION OF BULGARIA – 84,205 votes

№ 8 Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, Political Party BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY – 974,300 votes

№ 9 Volen Nikolov Siderov & Pavel Dimitrov Shopov, Political Party ATAKA – 122,466 votes

№ 12 Aleksey Iliev Petrov & Nikolay Lichkov Georgiev, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 31,613 votes

№ 13 Nikolay Nankov Nenchev & Zheko Stoyanov Ivanov, Political Party BULGARIAN AGRARIAN NATIONAL UNION – 9,827 votes

№ 14 Atanas Markov Semov & Polya Nikolova Stancheva, Political Party ORDER, LAW AND JUSTICE – 61,797 votes

№ 15 Pavel Mihailov Chernev & Anelia Dimitrova Delcheva, Political Party PARTY FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE NATION – 8,081 votes

№ 16 Dimitar Demirov Kutsarov & Kamelia Kirilova Todorova, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 6,989 votes

№ 17 Krasimir Donchev Karakachanov & Daniela Prodanova Simidchieva-Dimitrova, Political Party VMRO – BULGARIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT – 33,236 votes

№ 18 Andrey Ivanov Chorbanov & Angel Boychev Mirchev, Political Party BULGARIAN DEMOCRATIC COMMUNITY – 6,340 votes

№ 19 Nikolay Kirilov Vasilev & Vladimir Emil Savov, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 5,633 votes

№ 20 Svetoslav Emilov Vitkov & Ventsislav Emilov Mitsov, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 54,125 votes

№ 21 Ventsislav Yordanov Yosifov & Emilian Krumov Dimitrov, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 7,021 votes

Having found that at the election held on October 23, 2011 no President and Vice President of the Republic have been elected, according to the tenor of Art. 93, Para 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Central Election Commission determined on the first two candidates, who have garnered the highest number of votes, to participate in a runoff election pursuant to Art. 93, Para 4 in connection with Art. 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, as follows:

Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova, Political Party GERB – 1,349,380 votes

Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin & Stefan Lambov Danailov, BULGARIAN SOCIALIST PARTY – 974,300 votes

Pursuant to Art. 93, Para 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, a new round of elections for President and Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria was held on October 30, 2011, where out of the total number of voters which according to the tenor of Art. 42, Para 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria amounted to 6,933,615 voters, 3,334,169 have voted according to the signatures laid in the election rolls.

Having taken the above into account and pursuant to Art. 93 and 94 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and Art. 26, Para 3 (3) in connection with Art. 256 of the Election Code and CEC Decision No 1349-ПВР of October 26, 2011, the Central Election Commission

DECIDED:

1. ANNOUNCES the results by ticket for all candidates in the election for President and Vice President of the Republic, held on October 23, 2011 in the order of their entry in the ballot paper for voting for President and Vice President of the Republic, as follows:

№ 1 Meglena Shtilyanova Kuneva & Lyubomir Hristov Hristov, INITIATIVE COMMITTEE – 470,808 votes

№ 2 Rosen Asenov Plevneliev & Margarita Stefanova Popova, Political Party GERB – 1,349,380 votes