Central Bank Governor to Be Elected by Open Vote

The governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) will be elected by open vote in Parliament using the chamber's computer system. If there is more than one candidate for the post, the voting will be conducted in alphabetical order by the candidates' first names, the National Assembly decided on Wednesday, approving the procedure for electing the central bank chief.

News media and NGOs may approach the Budget and Finance Committee in Parliament to present their opinions about the candidates and raise questions with them. The committee will hear the candidates at an open-door meeting which will be broadcast live on the internet. Anonymous opinions and alerts will be ignored, the National Assembly decided.

A candidate must win more than half of the votes of the MPs present in order to be elected. If two or more candidates get more than half of the votes, the one who earns the most votes will be the ultimate winner. If no one wins enough votes, the voting will be repeated with the top two contenders from the first round. If no one is elected in this second round, a new procedure will be conducted.