site.btaLegal Affairs Committee Backs Election Code Amendments Introducing Optical Ballot Scanners amid Opposition Criticism

Parliament’s Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs endorsed at second reading draft Election Code amendments introducing optical devices for scanning paper ballots, after a sitting that lasted more than 13 hours and ended in the early hours on Wednesday.

The committee rejected a BSP – United Left proposal to postpone the change until 2027 and voted for the amendments to enter into force upon publication in the State Gazette, while also backing provisions on procurement steps by the Council of Ministers and a fallback to pre-amendment rules if scanners cannot be provided for the next parliamentary elections.

In addition to the scanner-related provisions, MPs debated amendments concerning the compilation of voter lists using National Statistical Institute data from the latest population census, as well as rules allowing up to 20 polling stations to be opened outside Bulgaria’s diplomatic and consular missions in non-EU countries. The committee also examined the ownership and administration of the new devices and their software, approving provisions under which they would be state property to be acquired and managed by Information Services. Under the same framework, the Central Election Commission would organize and approve conformity certification and authorize their use. The committee also adopted technical requirements for the devices, along with a number of editorial proposals submitted by parliamentary groups.

During the overnight debate, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria MP Nadejda Iordanova said there had been almost no exchange of arguments and warned: “There will be repair after repair of this Election Code,” adding that the working group behind the draft was a “phantom”.

Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria later described the amendments as a coordinated attempt to undermine the election process. CC–DB Deputy Floor Leader Bozhidar Bozhanov said the majority was proposing scanners that even they do not know how they work, while CC leader Assen Vassilev called for public readiness to respond: “We must be ready to protest and declare that the elections will not be stolen.” Yes, Bulgaria co-Chair Ivaylo Mirchev warned that “Bulgaria is on the brink of the largest election fraud in its history.”

Vazrazhdane MPs repeatedly questioned the origins of the proposals and the decision to continue voting through the night, and later walked out. “As a sign of protest, we are leaving and will no longer take part in this farce,” Vazrazhdane MP Zlatan Zlatanov said before his parliamentary group left the meeting.

Commenting on the committee’s work later on Wednesday, Vazrazhdane MP Tsveta Rangelova said: “There is a new Election Code with no author, and ballot-paper scanning devices that no one has ever seen.” She argued that “scandalous proposals” had been adopted and warned that the timeframe for purchasing the devices was insufficient, adding: “As a result, this condition will not be fulfilled and voting will be conducted on paper only.”

MECh leader Radostin Vasilev also criticized the process, calling it “sabotage of the elections.” “This is sabotage of the elections,” he said, adding that in his view “their idea is to eliminate machine voting and to move toward 100% paper-based voting,” while arguing there would be no time to certify and test the scanners or inform the public.

There Is Such a People maintained that implementation is feasible and placed responsibility on a future caretaker cabinet. TISP Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov said the caretaker government would either comply with the law by renting devices or “will sabotage the elections.” He added: “If someone is looking for a reason not to get something done, one will be found.”

In a Facebook post later in the day, TISP leader Slavi Trifonov defended the changes, writing that “Voting with machines equipped with scanning devices will make elections unquestionably fair,” adding that the current machines are compromised.

Separately on Wednesday, the Institute for Public Environment Development warned that introducing a new voting technology weeks before an election carries risks that outweigh potential benefits. Changing the voting technology is not a technical detail, the institute said, arguing that international standards require predictability, preparation, and time for certification and testing.