The National Assembly begins the plenary day with a large-scale debate on six separate bills to amend and supplement the Electoral Code, submitted by various parliamentary groups. Changes in the electoral rules are a key focus of the deputies' program for Thursday, July 16, 2026 In parallel with the political clashes in the plenary hall, the parliamentary The Commission for Control over the Security Services convenes a hearing of the Director of the National Security Service (NSS), Gen. Emil Tonev. The topic is related to the spending of state funds and the criteria for the protection of political figures.
Six drafts for a new Electoral Code: What is changing?
According to the official program published by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), the deputies will consider proposals that affect fundamental parts of the electoral process. Among the main accents set in the projects of the various political forces, the following stand out:
- Voting outside the European Union: Projects submitted by MPs such as Nadezhda Yordanova, Delyan Peevski and Stoyan Stoev envisage the removal of limits on the opening of polling stations outside diplomatic missions in third countries.
- Machine voting as the standard: Several of the bills call for machine voting to become the sole or leading method of voting.
- Abolition of the residence requirement: It is proposed to abolish the residence requirement for local elections and elections to the European Parliament.
- Technological control: The texts provide for new regulations for mandatory video surveillance at key stages of the count and the introduction of personal document scanners for identification.
According to data from the Legal Committee of the Parliament, the plenary hall is expected to support only part of the submitted bills at first reading, which will mark the beginning of serious revisions between the two votes.
Hearing in the Committee on Services: Who and why is entitled to state security?
In parallel with the changes to the Electoral Code, attention is also focused on the Committee for Control over Security Services, the Implementation and Use of the SRS. The deputies in it, under the leadership of the rotating chairman Rumen Milanov, will hear the head of the National Security Service, Gen. Emil Tonev.
The service's report has been requested for a long period of time - from 2015 to mid-2026, the "Horizont" program reports in its report. The focus of the inspection falls on the security of MPs and party leaders, in which the threat does not automatically arise from the position held, but must be proven with real signals. The public debate has intensified after the cases involving the security of Kiril Petkov, Atanas Atanasov and Delyan Peevski. The hearing comes at a time when the parliament has already adopted, at first reading, amendments to the National Security Service Act, aimed at the final decision on the appointment of security guards being made by the National Assembly.
During the same session, the chairman of the National Security Service Stancho Stanev is also expected to appear before the committee. He will report on investigations related to inspections of drug warehouses and suspicions of embezzlement of the Health Fund.