site.btaParliament Told that Election Preparations Go According to Plan, Members Fear Undue Interference

At a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the caretaker Minister of Electronic Governance, George Sharkov, spoke about the preparations for the early parliamentary elections on April 19.

Electronic Governance Minister

Sharkov said the preparations are following a well-established procedure. At the heart of the procedure is a timeline related to machine voting, the certification of the technical devices for that voting, and the provision of video surveillance, the minister said. “There is still no signed contract between the Central Election Commission and the contractor responsible for servicing the [voting] machines. Once it is finalized, we have subsequent steps for which we are prepared,” he pointed out. A working group has been formed to update the methodology for certification of compliance under the Election Code, Sharkov said. “There is no evidence whatsoever of possibilities to manipulate the Smartmatic voting machines,” said Minister Sharkov. He noted that ultimately, the voting machines function as printers, and it is the ballots that are being counted. “If there is a technical malfunction, I guarantee now that no such machine could influence the vote, because it will not work,” Sharkov said. “The machines reaching the polling stations will have been technically checked, and we have ensured that the code is secure.”

Regarding accusations of dependencies, Sharkov said: “I have over 2,500 contacts in my phone, including many of you, all of which have always been on professional topics related to my specialty: cybersecurity.” He went on to state: “I have not had any special, explicit meetings—only a single professional meeting with MP Bozhidar Bozhanov, specifically regarding details of the election procedure.”

Central Election Commission

CEC Chair Kameliya Neykova said the Commission has issued guidance that consultations with municipal mayors regarding the membership of section election commissions (SECs) should not take place before March 12. Fears are that if the consultations are held earlier, this will allow time for last-minute mass replacement of SEC members, a practice which the Constitutional Court has declared to be flawed. Parliamentary parties are advised to solicit declarations of consent from future SEC members, so that these individuals would know they were being proposed and there would be no replacements after appointment, said CEC Deputy Chair Rositsa Mateva. Therefore, the CEC has recommended mayors not to rush the public consultations, Mateva added.

Neykova said the CEC had proposed that the seals on the voting machines be provided and applied by state officials, but the executive branch did not adopt the measure, so the seals are still placed by the contractor, Ciela Norma. Neykova also highlighted a new incentive: section election commission members who fill out their tally sheets without errors will receive a reward.

MPs’ reactions

Georgi Krastev (GERB-UDF) said the mantra of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and the caretaker government about “fair elections” collapsed. Krastev added that the caretaker government is effectively for the service of CC-DB. Criticizing MP Bozhidar Bozhanov (CC-DB) for meeting the minister, Krastev described such contacts as “strange and self-interested.”

Bozhanov countered by slamming what he called “petty intrigues and attempts at minor politicking” during the hearing. He noted that as Electronic Government Committee chair or deputy chair, he routinely meets any incoming minister.

Angel Slavchev (Vazrazhdane) urged Electronic Governance Minister George Sharkov to resign.

Stanislav Anastasov (MRF – New Beginning) insisted that his party is not against machine voting per se, but against machines “proven to be compromised.”

Krasimira Katincharova (Velichie) expressed hope that the CEC would select appropriate paper for the machines to reduce the number of invalid ballots.