How many signatures are required to start the formal decision making stage of a direct democracy mechanism?

Bulgaria, Act on Direct Participation of Citizens in Government and Local Government of 29 May 2009 (as amended in 22 February 2022), accessed 7 September 2022

Art. 10. (1) A proposal to the National Assembly to hold a national referendum may be made by:

1. not less than one fifth of the people's representatives;

2. The President of the Republic;

3. The Council of Ministers;

4. not less than one fifth of the municipal councils in the country;

5. an initiative committee of citizens with voting rights that has collected no less than 200,000 signatures of citizens with voting rights.

(2) (Amended - SG No. 56 of 2015, in force from 24.07.2015) The National Assembly adopts a decision to hold a national referendum when this is requested by an initiative committee with a signature containing the signatures of less than 400,000 Bulgarian citizens with electoral rights and does not contradict the restrictions under Art. 9, para. 2, 3 and 4 .

(3) The Speaker of the National Assembly organizes the creation and maintenance of a public register, in which the proposals for holding a national referendum and the initiative committees under para. 1, item 5, under para. 2 and under Art. 11, para. 2 .

(4) The proposal for a national referendum includes one or more questions to which the citizens answer with "yes" or "no". The questions are written in common Bulgarian language, short, precise and clear.

Art. 45. (1) The national citizens' initiative is organized by decision of a meeting of not less than 50 citizens with voting rights.

(2) The meeting:

1. approves the proposal to the National Assembly or to a body of the central executive power, for which citizens' signatures are to be collected;

2. elects an initiative committee from the persons participating in the meeting, which consists of three to seven members, including the chairman;

3. approves the signature collection form;

4. determines the term and procedure for collecting signatures; the places for collecting the signatures are determined after coordination with the relevant mayor.

(3) For the assembly of citizens under para. 2, a protocol is drawn up, to which is attached a list of the names, permanent addresses, social security number and signatures of the citizens who participated in the meeting.

200 000 citizens with voting rights can propose a referendum. The National Assembly shall decide on holding a national referendum if it is requested by not less than 400,000 Bulgarian citizens. Agenda initiative – through national initiative citizens submit proposals to the National Assembly or the authorities of central government to address issues of national importance. According to art. 45 (1) of the law, the initiative can be undertaken by the group of not less than 50 citizens with voting rights.