Bulgarian Elections Turn Heavy as Voters Swarm to Stations

An unusually high turnout and cumbersome procedure have seen Bulgarian voters wait for up to an hour to cast their vote in Sunday's presidential and local elections.

In the last hours before stations close at 7 pm EET, lines have grown longer as more and more people flocked to vote.

This, however, was more or less the situation for the entire day, when people across the country had as a rule to wait at least 30-40 minutes for their turn to vote.

Official turnout statistics for the afternoon are not yet available, but more than 50% of Bulgarians are expected to vote.

If lines are accumulated in front of stations at the end of the voting at 7 pm, voting can be extended until an hour after.

Problems with the effectiveness of voting are reported in stations abroad, such as Istanbul and Athens, with chaos and long waiting.

Disabled persons have at times also been unable to access voting stations with no adequate measures for access being ensured in advance.

No major documented violations of election law have been reported during the day, although media report some apparent cases of vote-buying among the Roma minority.