The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) voted 12 to 2 against a proposal from MPs Ivaylo Mirchev and Bozhidar Bojanov (WCC-DB) to organize a public inspection of voting machines. The request aimed to address concerns raised by political parties and civil organizations about the security and integrity of machine-based voting. Committee member Lyubomir Georgiev reported the submission and explained that the MPs argued the public test was the only way to dispel widespread speculation and prove the devices could not be manipulated.

Georgiev supported the proposal, but it was ultimately rejected. Krasimir Tsipov stated the motion lacked any specific procedural framework or legal basis under current legislation. Elka Stoyanova added that her opposition stemmed from adherence to the powers defined in the Electoral Code, emphasizing that the CEC cannot act without a clear legal foundation.

Bozhidar Bojanov, one of the MPs behind the request, insisted that any claims of manipulation should be substantiated by experts. He stressed that “Yes, Bulgaria” (part of WCC-DB) had called for open testing of the machines, involving Bulgarian and international specialists and all political forces questioning the reliability of the devices.

Meanwhile, TISP deputy chairman Stanislav Balabanov said his party supports full machine voting, but not with the current machines. He proposed the introduction of scanning devices for ballot processing, which could be gradually integrated into polling stations. Balabanov highlighted TISP’s legislative efforts to clean electoral rolls from “dead souls” and said the WCC-DB had aligned with these reforms. He acknowledged the machines are owned by an American company and noted that similar systems are used in the United States. Balabanov confirmed funding for potential upgrades would be secured during parliamentary debates, describing it as an investment in democratic integrity and a way to prevent manipulation.

Revival MP Petar Petrov reiterated his party’s call for fully machine-based elections with the complete elimination of paper ballots. He criticized the reintroduction of paper voting in 2023 by GERB, BSP, and DPS, citing widespread abuses such as ballot fraud and manipulation. Petrov stressed that scanning devices or partial solutions are insufficient and proposed additional measures to increase transparency, including public video recording of vote counting, arranging parties alphabetically on ballots, and expanding the number of observers at the RIC and OIC levels. However, he ruled out the possibility that the president would grant Revival the third mandate to form a government.

The Legal Committee is scheduled to review a general bill comprising 90 paragraphs, which incorporates proposals from various parties including TISP and Revival. Discussions are expected to cover machine voting, ballot scanning, and other electoral reforms, although Petrov warned that introducing such changes less than two months before elections is technically challenging and potentially unfeasible.