ACCORDING to the Electing of Members of Parliament Act (EMPA), MPs in Bulgaria are elected by a system of proportional representation, but one that also permits a certain number of independent candidates.
To be eligible, candidates must be Bulgarian citizens of 21 years of age or above, must not have dual citizenship, and must not be serving prison terms.
Candidates are registered in party lists in 31 constituencies across the country, each of which carries a certain number of seats, according to the number of registered voters in it.
The Varna constituency carries the largest number of seats, 14, while the smallest number of seats - four - is distributed through constituencies in Vidin, Gabrovo, Silistra and Smolyan.
The largest city, Sofia, is divided into three constituencies - Sofia 1, 2 and 3, respectively, and has a total of 36 seats.
For the allocation of seats among the parties and coalitions, what is known as the D'Ondt method is used. This is a set of complicated mathematical algorithms and formulae. In simple terms, the number of votes cast is divided by the number of seats and then the remainder is allocated, according to the formulae.
There are 240 seats in Parliament. To be eligible to enter Parliament, parties and coalitions must have passed the four per cent threshold.
According to the above-mentioned method,votes cast for parties and candidates that have not passed the four per cent threshold are distributed among parties eligible to enter Parliament, until the number of seats is filled up.
To be eligible to vote, one must be a Bulgarian citizen, and have turned 18 years of age before the election date. Bulgarian citizens living abroad also have the right to vote. Those serving jail sentences are barred from voting.
According to the EMPA, the election campaign starts 30 days before the election date and ends 24 hours before the elections. The day before the elections is called "contemplation day" and on that day, campaigning and polling is strictly forbidden.
Campaigning on the day of elections is forbidden. The releasing of exit poll results before the official announcement of the end of voting across the country is forbidden.
Sale of liquor on the "day of contemplation" and election day is also forbidden.