Bulgaria’s Parliament rejects holding referendum on retaining the lev as the only official currency until 2043

Bulgaria’s National Assembly on July 7, 2023, rejected a proposal to hold a referendum on retaining the lev as the country’s sole official currency up to the year 2043.

Most MPs from “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” voted against, as well as 14 MPs from GERB-UDF and all MPs from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

The referendum was backed by the MP from “Vazrazhdane” party (which initiated the petition for the referendum), the Bulgarian Socialist Party, “There is Such a People” and independent MP Radostin Vassilev.

The majority of the GERB-UDF MPs voted "abstain".

Among the reasons are that the request contradicts the law on referendums and that with Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union, the country has accepted joining the eurozone and the introduction of the euro.

"Vazrazhdane” believes that the behaviour of the parliamentary groups is undemocratic.

"I am glad that there will be a rotation – so there will be another chairman of the legal affairs committee. Aren't you ashamed of proposing this “rag” for a vote here. And of coming out and saying what was legal. Mrs Rangelova, why don't you say that everybody is saying that the issue is unlawful, but none of these democratic parties will take it to the Constitutional Court. Neither from GERB, nor from WCC-DB, we will refer it to the Constitutional Court," said Petar Petrov from "Vazrazhdane".

"This is not democracy, this is totalitarianism," added Tsoncho Ganev of Revival.

"Such signatures have been collected, they are valid once they have been verified and that is why today this problem is being put to the National Assembly for a decision because that is the law. The National Assembly must still review, to assess whether all the requirements of the law for holding referendums have been met," added Branimir Balachev, GERB-UDF.

"I personally and my colleagues from "There is Such a People" are convinced that the sooner the country joins the Eurozone, the better it would be for Bulgaria. I am also convinced that most Bulgarians are of the same opinion and are not afraid to express it in a referendum. As convinced democrats, we believe that restricting Bulgarians to express their opinion in referendums is a very bad practice", said Grozdan Karadzhov, TISP.

Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee rejected proposal for referendum on the Bulgarian currency