No referendum on Turkey’s potential EU accession is currently necessary in Bulgaria, according to the country’s Parliamentary Speaker, Tsetska Tsacheva.
She pointed out that a referendum could be only held on issues on which the Parliament is allowed to come up with a decision.
“If Turkey’s potential EU accession reaches a ratification stage, a possible referendum can be held on whether Bulgaria’s Parliament shall ratify their membership or not. However, the question whether Turkey should join the Union in general can not be the subject of a popular vote,” Tsacheva explained.
In October 2010, the Bulgarian far-rightist party Ataka (Attack) called for an immediate referendum on Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. Ataka, a key ally of the minority centrist government, radically opposed the country’s possible admission into the EU.
As a result, Bulgaria’s informal ruling coalition between the center-right GERB party and the nationalists from Ataka has seen serious cracks as GERB and its leader, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, firmly opposed the notion for such a referendum.
According to Bulgarian legislation, the national citizens’ initiative for referendum is kicked off if at least 200 000 signatures have been gathered and Parliament approves the holding of a popular vote.
Meanwhile, Tsetska Tsacheva announced that the amendments to Bulgaria’s Election code will be the key priority for the Parliament until the end of 2011.
via Bulgaria: Bulgaria’s Parliament Speaker Opposes Vote on Turkey EU Accession – Novinite.com – Sofia News Agency.