site.btaMedia Review: January 14

On Wednesday, Bulgarian media focus primarily on the upcoming snap parliamentary elections and changes to the electoral process. Coverage highlights last-minute proposals for the Electoral Code, including active voter registration and the introduction of optical scanners, as well as debates over full machine voting. 

ELECTIONS

Mediapool.bg focuses on the upcoming elections and reports that the National Assembly has moved quickly to advance long-delayed amendments to the Election Code, including the introduction of optical scanning devices. According to the website, a meeting of the parliamentary legal affairs committee is scheduled for Wednesday to consider the amendments, which had remained stalled for about a year. Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP Bozhidar Bozhanov wrote on Tuesday that the governing parties had "quietly taken a decision to rapidly push through optical scanners." Alongside the main draft bill, the committee is also set to examine at first reading a separate CC-DB proposal to restore fully machine-based voting using the existing devices. CC-DB announced a protest on Wednesday evening, calling for the introduction of 100% machine voting in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The formation argues that a return to machine-only voting would eliminate what it describes as entrenched vote-buying practices. Mediapool recalls that in 2021 parliament introduced machine-only voting in polling stations where voters exceeded 300 people, with the aim of limiting fraud and manipulation linked to paper ballots. In December 2022, however, a so-called “paper coalition” of GERB, UDF and BSP-United Left repealed the rule and effectively reduced voting machines to printers, with ballots counted manually. The current proposals, drawn up by a working group, envisage replacing the existing touchscreen machines with new optical scanners that scan paper ballots. Mediapool notes that with early elections likely at the end of March, doubts remain as to whether the state could procure and deploy an entirely new voting technology in such a short time.

SegaBG.com reports that the CC-DB coalition is organizing a rally on Wednesday in support of 100% machine voting. According to an event announced on social media, the protest targets parties in the parliamentary legal affairs committee that are expected to oppose the return of full machine voting. The organizers reject proposals for introducing ballot-scanning devices, describing them as misleading, and argue that the current machines ensure transparent results and limit vote-buying and invalid ballots. The rally is scheduled ahead of a meeting of the legal affairs committee, where proposed amendments to the Election Code are expected to be discussed.

In an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Iva Lazarova, Chair of the Institute for the Development of the Public Environment, said that active voter registration would neither clean up electoral rolls nor address chronic public apathy toward politics. Lazarova warned that once again efforts are under way to change election rules "minutes before the match," referring to proposed amendments to the Election Code ahead of the snap elections. She outlined the risks of hastily introducing, and then abandoning, yet another voting technology. According to Lazarova, the five consolidated proposals submitted by political parties include two particularly radical changes that could fundamentally alter the electoral framework, the introduction of ballot-scanning devices and active voter registration. She argued that active registration would lead to lower voter turnout and would not achieve the promised clean-up of voter lists, nor would it overcome the long-standing disengagement of citizens from politics. Lazarova was also skeptical about the feasibility of procuring 10,000 optical scanners within three months before election day, questioning whether international suppliers would risk reputational damage amid Bulgaria’s political disputes and technical controversies surrounding voting machines. If the proposed scanners and the consolidated draft are adopted, machine voting with the current devices would have to be discontinued, she said. Lazarova added that while the new technology could be considered for presidential elections, retaining only paper ballots could trigger public discontent among supporters of opposition parties.

24 Chasa daily analyses why Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Governor Dimitar Radev has declined to serve as prime minister in the next caretaker government and why the chances of former Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP and Deputy Governor of the BNB Andrey Gurov have sharply diminished. According to the publication, Gurov is still awaiting a court ruling on whether he has the right to remain part of the BNB’s management. At the start of the political crisis, he topped the list from which President Rumen Radev was expected to choose a caretaker prime minister. At the heart of the issue is a case concerning alleged incompatibility. The Anti-Corruption Commission found that when taking up his post at the BNB, Gurov was a partner in a commercial company and a member of governing bodies of non-governmental organizations, without having obtained permission from the bank’s Governing Council. The Commission ruled that this breached the strict rules on the political and economic neutrality of the central bank’s leadership. As a result, the BNB initiated proceedings to terminate Gurov’s mandate, a decision he has appealed before the Supreme Administrative Court. The case quickly moved beyond the framework of Bulgarian law. The Supreme Administrative Court referred a question to the Court of Justice of the European Union on the conditions under which a member of a central bank’s management may be removed. Thus, the case evolved from a domestic dispute into a European test of the principle of central bank independence, a cornerstone of the euro area and financial stability in the EU. It was precisely because of concerns that the independence of the BNB could be called into question if a member of its leadership were to assume the post of caretaker prime minister that, shortly before Christmas, Governor Dimitar Radev stated he would not accept such an appointment. He said this would cast doubt on the BNB’s independence and undermine confidence in the entire system, particularly at a historic moment such as the changeover to the euro.

Sociologist Elena Darieva and political scientist Prof. Milena Stefanova warned that last-minute "fine-tuning" of election rules can backfire, emphasizing that high voter turnout is the only effective "remedy" against vote-buying. In an interview for Nova TV, Darieva and Stefanova analyzed the political situation following the return of the second exploratory mandate by CC-DB and the prospect of early elections. Stefanova highlighted the unexpected appearance of Nadezhda Yordanova in a formal role during the mandate return, calling the procedure largely pro forma. Darieva expressed concern over proposed last-minute amendments to the Electoral Code, noting that attempts to secure a pre-election advantage often have a boomerang effect. On voting technology, Stefanova stressed that machines or electronic systems do not guarantee fair elections. She suggested professionalizing election administration, reducing the number of polling commissions, and centralizing vote counting across several precincts to prevent controlled voting. Darieva added that only high voter turnout can mitigate the impact of bought or manipulated votes. The analysts also discussed the potential political role of President Rumen Radev. Stefanova argued that entering party politics now would risk a conflict of interest and political marginalization. Regarding the possible election date of 29 March, Darieva warned that turnout could be low due to spring school holidays and planned vacations, which could disproportionately affect the electorate of major political parties.

24 Chasa daily has published an interview with former finance minister Vladislav Goranov, who says that in the future the country will be governed by those who are able to do so, not by those who believe they can, as no political force will again have more than 80 MPs. According to Goranov, Bulgaria will increasingly have to learn to work with coalition formats, "assemblages," "councils for joint governance" and other communication constructs, which he said could help build political culture and change the way parliament functions. He added that President Rumen Radev will never leave the political arena, describing this as his right that cannot be taken away. Goranov also said the country is once again entering a period of caretaker governments and a lack of quality governance. In his words, avoiding tax increases would require measures on the expenditure side of the budget, which he described as a serious political challenge.

EURO ADOPTION

Vladimir Ivanov, head of Bulgaria’s Euro Adoption Coordination Centre, told bTV that initial panic around the switch to the euro has subsided and the transition is proceeding smoothly, with Bulgaria performing better than expected and better than Croatia. He stressed that continuing to operate with the lev after February 1 is illegal, and all lev cash is to be withdrawn by the end of March. Around 7-8% of currency conversion violations have been reported, but the market remains stable. Ivanov praised banks and retailers for their responsible handling of the transition.

Trud daily carries an article titled "After Bulgaria, the Expansion of the Euro Faces Obstacles," focusing on the challenges ahead for further enlargement of the euro area and on countries in the European Union that have not yet adopted the single currency. The newspaper quotes Reuters as saying that Bulgaria has become the 21st member of the euro area despite opposition from about half of voters, leaving only a handful of EU member states outside the single currency zone. While public support for the euro is relatively high in some of these countries, euro-sceptic parties within governing coalitions and national parliaments are expected to block further expansion in the foreseeable future. Trud highlights Romania as a key example, noting that the country is struggling to reduce the largest budget deficit in the EU. This makes it likely that several years will be needed to stabilise public finances before euro adoption becomes a realistic prospect. Public support for the euro in Romania stands at 59%, according to Eurobarometer, but high inflation, austerity measures and the rise of the far right ahead of the 2028 elections have pushed the issue out of the public debate. The article also reviews the situation in other non-euro EU states. In Hungary, public support for the euro reaches 72%, the highest among non-euro countries, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s euro-sceptic stance and constitutional protection of the forint make accession unlikely without a political shift. Poland, with 45% public support, has no plans to adopt the euro, while the Czech Republic, Sweden and Denmark also show limited political momentum despite varying levels of public backing. Denmark remains the only EU country with a formal opt-out from the euro. In a separate international context, Trud notes statements by the US President Donald Trump, who said the United States would take Greenland “one way or another”, warning that Russia or China could gain control if Washington does not act. Denmark and other European allies reacted with shock to the remarks, as AFP reported, citing Greenland’s strategic role between North America and the Arctic, where the US has maintained a military presence since World War II.

WORLD

In an interview with Bulgarian National Television (BNT), analyst Prof. Vladimir Chukov commented on the protests in Iran and the future of the regime and the region. Chukov spoke about reports of thousands of casualties in Iran and said that the US administration appears ready to intervene in some form, or at least signals such intentions from Washington. He expressed doubt that US President Donald Trump would proceed with a plan unlikely to succeed. Chukov recalled Trump’s statement that "help is on the way," noting that no clarification followed. According to Chukov, however, Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said this would involve a hybrid operation, including military strikes, strong cyberattacks and media pressure. Chukov said such an approach points to an “integrated operation” that is most likely already prepared and could be implemented within days. He added that it is difficult to predict whether the authorities in Iran will manage to survive once again, but pointed to another significant signal: a meeting held by Steven Witkoff with the son of the last Iranian shah. According to Chukov, this indicates a clear alternative being presented to Iranians, this time articulated openly and unequivocally.