Chaos Reported at Bulgaria's Voting Polls on Election Day

Utter chaos and confusion have ruled a large number of voting polls across Bulgaria Sunday, which was the day of presidential and local elections.

The Bulgarian National Television, BNT, reported about disarray, long lines and people passing out at voting sections in the capital Sofia. The same information has arrived from the Black Sea city of Burgas.

BNT also aired a video showing members of electoral commissions in Sofia going home with ballots that they did not account for. They have explained it with outrage from poor organization on the part of the Regional Electoral Commission making them stay until 3 am in voting polls and then wait for hours to sign off and deliver their protocols. They have also threatened that they would not return to work next Sunday when runoff elections are to be held at many locations.

In Burgas, people walking back and forth, carrying bags filled with ballots, have become a common sight, according to local reports. The Chair of the Regional Electoral Commission there is quoted saying the work of processing the protocols is very slow over a large number of mistakes – by 5:30 am only 120 out of a total of 900 protocols have been processed.

Chaos is also reported in the southwestern city of Blagoevgrad with protocols still being collected as late as 10 am Monday.

On Sunday, the Central Electoral Commission, CEC, ruled to hold elections for an extra hour over the huge lines, with polls closing at 8 pm instead of 7 pm as previously announced, which led to a delay in announcing the official results.

CEC Chair, Ralitsa Negentsova, explains the poor organization with the fact there were two votes on October 23. She informed she has send her colleagues to the Universiada Hall in Sofia, where the protocols are traditionally being delivered after the closing of the polls, and admitted the check showed there were serious problems with the accounting of the results.

All through the day Sunday citizens and politicians voiced a large number of complaints from pathetic organization and difficulties in casting a ballot.