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1. Young people as voters

2. Young people as political representatives

Young people as voters

In Bulgaria, the minimum age to vote in elections for representative institutions, including National Assembly, municipal councils and the European Parliament, is 18 years. This is established by the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and the electoral legislation. Bulgarian citizens aged 18 and over have the right to vote, except those placed under judicial interdiction or serving a prison sentence. Bulgaria also applies the same age requirement for participation in referendums. There are no special reductions of the voting age for any type of election currently in force.

There are no imminent plans to lower the voting age limit in Bulgarian law. Recent public debates on lowering the voting age (for instance to 16) exist in civil society and youth media, but they have not resulted in legislative changes.

Bulgarian electoral law does not include special provisions for young people as a distinct age group in relation to voting rights, registration or facilitation. There are no legal exceptions for young offenders, people completing national service, or other specific groups in terms of exercising their right to vote.

European Parliament elections 2024

The overall turnout in Bulgaria for the European Parliament elections held on 9 June 2024 was 33.78% of registered voters.

According to national reporting and surveys, around 45% of eligible young people exercised their right to vote in the 2024 European Parliament elections, higher than the overall turnout, although detailed age-specific official statistics are limited. (Младите българи с по-висока избирателна активност пред останалото население на последните избори - Радио София) (last visited on 25/02/2026)

Official statistics specifically disaggregating turnout by age for national or local elections are not available at the aggregate national level from the authorities. 

Young people as political representatives

The existence and functioning of political parties in the Republic of Bulgaria is governed by the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Political Parties Act (Закон за политическите партии) (effective from 1 April 2005, last amended 17 September 2024). According to the Political Parties Act, political parties may establish their youth, women and other organisations.

The age limit for standing as a candidate for the National Assembly is 18 years. Candidates for president must be 40 years of age. There is no quota of seats reserved for young people and the national legislation governing election rights does not set out special regime for specific age groups participating in their capacity of candidates in different types of elections.