Alexander Petrov, deputy head of the Bulgarian Election Commission, talked to Sofia News Agency Editor-in-Chief Milena Hristova hours ahead of the opening of the election polls.
Q: Could you elaborate on reports about missing information in the applications for voting abroad, that could eventually lead to the closure of polling stations?
A: The Central Elections Commission (CEC) is currently checking these applications for voting abroad and will in due time inform the Ambassadors of the countries concerned and the Foreign Ministry on any breaches of the elections law. Under the local legislation CEC is responsible for the validity of the elections both in the country and abroad.
The probe inspects whether the polling stations planned so far (345) meet the requirement that at least 20 Bulgarian citizens submit valid declarations expressing will to vote there. It also checks the number of Bulgarian representatives in the elections commissions at places. We have the list of members in all teams and will check whether the Ambassadors have acted as provided by the law in all appointments.
Q: How would you comment the statements of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry that it is financially impossible for it to pay for sending representatives of all election racers to each polling section abroad?
A: It is important to note that the draft calculation of the government was not coordinated with the Central Elections Commission. Otherwise we would have alerted that more money would be needed for sending representatives abroad. Our estimates show that about BGN 1 M should suffice for sending about 350 representatives from Bulgaria in the local election commissions abroad. The sum does not include Turkey, where representatives will be sent on a budget, as well as the cases in those countries when locals, living there, have been nominated for party representatives. The Foreign Ministry's calculation allotted BGN 3 M for covering the expenses.
Q: The Central Elections Commission announced extra measures would be taken to prevent rigging the election results. Can you single out some of these measures?
A: An excellent example of such a measure is the commission's Tuesday decision, making integral ballot invalid, if extra words, names, or initials are written outside either check box on it. This decreases the possibility for scratching across the ballot to allow a monitoring and control of the vote due to lack of knowledge or straightforward manipulating.
Q: How serious should we consider the fears that representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe voiced over the prize draw that the government conceived to boost vote turnout?
A: I personally met with representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and was closely acquainted with the letter of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The fears of the international observers are serious as far as the adopted approach is not traditional and the line between politics and good intentions is really slim. The two organizations' criticism is about the lack of a wide debate in the society. They find it unacceptable that the prize draw is organized by the government, not non-governmental organizations or the Central Elections Commission.
The observers, who are to prepare and assess a report on the elections, fear the lottery could cast a shadow over this year's elections. All their reports so far have been positive.
I believe that the society would have welcomed much more friendly the government's moves to boost voters' turnout if the Central Elections Commission was involved in the initiatives.
Q: Do you think Bulgarians abroad are well enough informed on the upcoming elections?
A: I don't think the Bulgarians abroad are informed about the way one should vote or the political programs of the formations, which feature in the integral ballot.
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Alexander Petrov
