874.00/7–2745: Telegram
The United States Representative in Bulgaria (Barnes) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 27—12:25 p.m.]
387. The following statement issued yesterday by the Ministry of Interior explains why the Petkov Agrarians and the Cheshmedjieff Socialists are filing lists as Independents:
“Paragraph 2 of Article 53 of electoral law provides that a party which participates with candidates duly designated by it in the ticket of the Fatherland Front in a given electoral district, cannot place separate lists of candidates in the same district. As it is already known, all Fatherland Front parties have reached an agreement to come out with common Fatherland Front tickets in all electoral districts. Under the circumstances, it is obvious that none of the existing parties can place separate lists of candidates in any electoral district.
All other candidates, which candidacies have been placed in the name of ten individual voters, cannot represent in the elections any party group or organization. Such candidates are, consequently, obliged to carry out their pre-election campaigns—printed as well as oral—in their own names, but they have no right to speak or act on behalf of any party, nor can they appear as representatives of such parties anywhere.
The candidates must conform with these regulations of the law and must observe them most strictly.”
Although thus deprived of their party organizations and party organs, Petkov, Cheshmedjieff and the Independent Stoyanov will do their best to contrive an effective electoral campaign.
Repeated to Moscow as No. 201.