(1) (Amended, SG No. 39/2016, effective 26.05.2016) Any candidate, who is a central or local government authority or who holds office in the administration of a central or local government authority, with the exception of any candidate for municipal councillor, shall mandatorily use, at his or her choice, either unpaid service leave or paid annual leave for the period commencing upon the registration and ending upon the declaration of the election results.

(2) Any candidate for municipal councillor, who has entered civil service, shall mandatorily use a leave for the days on which he or she participates in election campaign events during working time.

(3) Any such leave shall be assimilated to the length of employment-service or civil-service seniority and to the length of contributory service.

(4) If the registration is stricken, the leave shall be interrupted as from the day of the striking. Where the striking is revoked, the leave shall be presumed uninterrupted.

(5) The provisions of Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the Prime Minister, the deputy prime ministers, the ministers, the President and the Vice President of the Republic. The credentials thereof shall subsist even after the registration thereof as candidates.

(6) The provisions of Paragraphs (1), (3), (4) and (5) shall furthermore apply to the candidates for Member of the European Parliament for the Republic of Bulgaria who occupy any of the positions covered under Article 389 herein.