site.btaMRF-New Beginning Leader Peevski Set on Preventing Elections from Being "Stolen"

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) – New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski sees a risk that the likely early parliamentary elections this spring can be "stolen" as political forces try to push through changes to the voting methods. "We will not allow the elections to be stolen. If something new is introduced, it should be something better – like scanners," Peevski told journalists in the National Assembly on Thursday.

The possible use of scanners in polling stations is apparently backed by the official partners in the outgoing coalition government – GERB-UDF, BSP-United Left, and There Is Such a People – and their informal supporter, Peevski's MRF-New Beginning. The idea is that votes could be cast using paper ballots and then recorded and tabulated with scanning devices. Critics see this as an attempt to revert to paper-only voting five years after machines were introduced as the standard voting technology, which was later replaced by a mixed machine-and-paper system. Politicians and analysts have commented that scanners cannot be supplied in time for the next elections. With or without scanners, fears are that, in effect, paper ballots will remain the only voting method – and they are often seen as facilitating election rigging.

In his remarks to the media on Thursday, Peevski went on to say: "We have stated that we favour American scanning machines. If this is the final choice, we should be mindful of who the manufacturers are when deciding to rent and buy such devices. They should not be private companies like Ciela."

Peevski added that if the introduction of scanners is found unfeasible, the current voting technology should be preserved, which involves the use of "machines as printers as well as paper ballots."

His reference to "machines as printers" means that voters would use voting machines to cast their votes, and the machines would print out paper slips to be counted and processed manually.

Peevski was also asked for comment on the proposed discontinuation of a parliamentary inquiry into the activities of George Soros, Alexander Soros and their foundations in Bulgaria, which was to be debated in the National Assembly later on Thursday. Peevski said: "The MRF will always work against the influences of Soros. We will do everything to end them, so that Bulgaria can be a democratic country. Unless this matter is sorted out, Bulgaria will stall forever, unable to move forward with institutions working for the people. The tumour must be cut out."

Concerning President Rumen Radev's decision to give the third and last government-forming mandate to the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, Peevski said sarcastically: "We want a kiss!"

The granting of government-forming mandates by the President is a standard procedure attempting to produce a regular government after the resignation of the previous one. If all three attempts fail, the President must nominate the prime minister-designate of a future caretaker government, whose main task will be to prepare snap parliamentary elections. The cabinet of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on December 12.