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2016 Bulgarian referendum

2016 Bulgarian referendum

November 6, 2016 (2016-11-06)
Do you support MPs being elected by a majority electoral system with an absolute majority in two rounds?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 2,509,864 73.80% No 560,024 16.47% None of the above 330,928 9.73% Valid votes 3,400,816 97.49% Invalid or blank votes 87,668 2.51% Total votes 3,488,484 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 6,865,086 50.81%
Yes   60-70%   70-80%

Do you support the introduction of compulsory voting in elections and referendums?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 2,158,929 63.48% No 905,691 26.63% None of the above 336,180 9.89% Valid votes 3,400,800 97.49% Invalid or blank votes 87,668 2.51% Total votes 3,488,468 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 6,865,086 50.81%
Yes   50-60%   60-70%

Do you support the annual state subsidy granted to finance political parties and coalitions to be one lev for every vote received in the last parliamentary elections?
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 2,516,791 74.02% No 523,759 15.40% None of the above 359,778 10.58% Valid votes 3,400,328 97.49% Invalid or blank votes 87,668 2.51% Total votes 3,487,996 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 6,865,086 50.81%
Yes   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%

Politics of Bulgaria
Constitution 1879 1947 1971 1991
Presidency President (list) Rumen Radev Vice President Iliana Iotova
Executive Legislative Government Prime Minister (list) Nikolay Denkov National Assembly Speaker: Rosen Zhelyazkov
Law Judiciary Nationality law Human rights Courts Constitutional Court Supreme Administrative Court Supreme Court of Cassation Office of the General Prosecutor
Major political parties PP GERB DPS Bulgarian Socialist Party Democratic Bulgaria Revival Bulgarian Rise
Recent elections Presidential: 2011 2016 2021 Parliamentary: 2022 2023 2024 European: 2014 2019 2024
Administrative divisions Provinces (oblasti) Municipalities (obshtini)
Foreign relations 2007 EU enlargement Kristalina Georgieva Politics of the European Union
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A three-question referendum was held in Bulgaria on 6 November 2016 alongside presidential elections.^[1] Voters were asked whether they supported limiting public funding of political parties to one lev per year per valid vote received at the previous elections, the introduction of compulsory voting in elections and referendums, and changing the electoral system for the National Assembly to the two-round system.^[2] In order to be binding, the number of voters participating in the referendum must be equal to or higher than the number who voted in the 2014 parliamentary elections.^[3]

All three proposals were supported by a majority of those voting, but turnout was slightly lower than the 2014 parliamentary elections, meaning the quorum was not met. However, as over 20% of registered voters voted in favour, the proposals will still have to be debated in the National Assembly.^[4] The National Assembly rejected to legalize anything of the three questions. Despite the insufficiency of 0.2% (12,000 people) of the turnout for the referendum to be 51% and to have mandatory effect, the turnout was based only on number of valid votes, not on number of voters.^[5] Some sections could not serve all the voters in reasonable time and a number waited on the line and could not vote,^[6][7][8] other sections closed earlier than the appointed time(8 PM) and in some sections entire boxes with ballots were locked in the sections themselves to avoid their enumeration.^{[9][10][11][12]} According to the Electoral Commission more than 12,000 ballots for not having envelope were excluded from the turnout alone.^[13]

Results[edit]

References[edit]