(1) There shall be established a Central Election Commission for conduct of all types of elections, which shall be an independent State body.

(2) The Commission shall be a legal person, a budget authoriser by delegation, with a head office in Sofia.

(3) (Amended, SG No. 35/2014, effective 22.04.2014) The Commission shall consist of 18 members, including a Chairperson, Deputy Chairpersons and a Secretary, who shall be nominated by the parties and coalitions represented in Parliament, as well as of one member each, nominated by the parties and coalitions which have Members of the European Parliament elected from the candidate lists thereof but are not represented in Parliament.

(4) The Chairperson, the Deputy Chairpersons and the Secretary of the Central Election Commission shall be elected by the National Assembly on the basis of a nomination under Item 1 of Article 47 (2) herein. The rest of the members of the Commission shall be appointed by the President of the Republic on the basis of a nomination under Item 2 of Article 47 (2) herein.

(5) Nominations for election of members may be put forward by the National Representatives, the parliamentary groups, as well as the parties and coalitions which have Members of the European Parliament elected from the candidate lists thereof but are not represented in Parliament.

(6) Bulgarian non-governmental organisations may approach the National Representatives and the parliamentary groups with proposals for appointment of members of the Central Election Commission. Where a National Representative or a parliamentary group puts forward a nomination on the basis of a proposal by a non-governmental organisation, this fact shall be indicated in any such nomination.

(7) Persons nominated by one and the same parliamentary group or by National Representatives of one and the same parliamentary group may not be nominated as chairperson, deputy chairpersons and secretary.

(8) (Amended, SG No. 35/2014, effective 22.04.2014) Upon appointment of the members of the Central Election Commission, the correlation of the parties and coalitions represented in Parliament shall be retained. The representatives of a single party or coalition may not have a majority in the Commission.

(9) Where the parties and coalitions represented in Parliament and the parties and coalitions which have Members of the European Parliament elected from the candidate lists thereof but are not represented in Parliament fail to put forward nominations under Paragraph (5) for all members to whom they are entitled, including where any such parties and coalitions have nominated fewer members, the vacant positions shall be filled on a nomination by other parties and coalitions represented in Parliament conforming with Paragraph (8).