It will come as no surprise to anyone that the MRF-NEW BEGINNING will not be supporting this draft law, just as it did not support it at the meetings of the committee, just as it did not support such texts in previous National Assemblies.
We are again not only discussing the right of people to vote, but we are discussing this in any way we see fit. In this regard, I declare that we have never withdrawn from the position that all Bulgarian citizens, regardless of where they live and for what reason, have the right to vote, and this is the basis of Bulgarian democracy. This is something like an axiom for the MRF and we will not back down from this in today's vote.
We are discussing the right of these Bulgarians to vote always and only in specific elections, but we have never discussed the possibilities of exercising this right when we consider how many consular offices, how many representations Bulgaria has in countries outside the EU. We are constantly limiting them whether for financial or organisational reasons.
When the time comes to discuss the Electoral Code, once again we are reminded that we need to do something. Our appeal from the Parliamentary Group of MRF-NEW BEGINNING is to consider the rights of these citizens when we discuss the state budget, the work of the Foreign Ministry, the work of the state of Bulgaria in countries outside the EU. Then we would have even more reason to insist on securing the rights, as they are guaranteed for voting on the territory of the state of Bulgaria.
What message are we sending today to our compatriots around the world? We are telling them from this auditorium: We are not interested in you. You are of no concern to us, look - you don't always pay your taxes in Bulgaria; there are people who are financially literate here and know how much money our compatriots contribute to the Bulgarian economy by supporting their loved ones.
Bulgarians abroad are the biggest investor in Bulgaria. By helping their relatives in Bulgaria, they contribute 1.5-2 billion Euros to the treasury every year. There is barely any other investor who invests more in Bulgaria. These people also work for Bulgaria. Our compatriots insist on their ties with the Motherland and support Bulgarian municipalities. They pay taxes here and intend to return. They maintain the Bulgarian spirit outside the territory of the Motherland, but they belong to it. And this law is saying to them: the situation here is such that we don't need you. Rights are not a subject of discussion, and tomorrow we will see. Rights are rights and we protect those rights.
MRF-NEW BEGINNING is categorically opposed to reducing the polling stations abroad.
If this draft law is adopted today, we will continue to fight for the rights of Bulgarian citizens abroad, because they are our fellow citizens, they are important for our country, the development of the regions, the Bulgarian culture and the Bulgarian presence all over the world. Let us remember that there are people who for one reason or another do not currently live in Bulgaria, but they are Bulgarian citizens and if we really care about their rights, we should not forget this in any of our discussions in the National Assembly.
