Central Election Commission

The snap parliamentary elections on July 11 will cost BGN15.75 million, Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Kamelia Neikova told BNT today. The draft estimate is made taking into account the supply of another 1,500 voting machines.

In 700 polling sections in the country will probably be placed two voting machines and not only one. This is the assessment of the Central Election Commission based on the results of the first test voting with machines, which took place today.

About 1,000 additional voting machines will have to be secured for the early parliamentary elections on July 11, the Central Election Commission (CEC) told a news briefing on Thursday. According to CEC spokesperson Rositsa Mateva, the voting machines secured for the local elections and by-elections can be used on July 11 or, in case of ballotage, there is an option for software updates.

The Central Election Commission has announced a list of places abroad where polling stations will operate during the snap parliamentary elections on July 11, and their estimated number of polling stations. A decision was made according to the places abroad where at least one polling station was formed after July 11, 2016 and not less than 100 citizens voted, BNR reporter Maria Kostova informed.

The new chairman of the Central Election Commission, Kamelia Neykova, hopes the CEC will not be held hostage between battles in parliament.

President Rumen Radev will meet on May 5 with the parliamentary forces, which are to make nominations to the Central Election Commission (CEC), the President's Press Secretariat said on Monday.

"No cabinet will be formed after the early elections in Bulgaria and the caretaker cabinet appointed by Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev will continue to govern for months", predicted this country's outgoing Premier Boyko Borissov.

Outgoing Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov Monday criticized the recent revisions to the electoral legislation, saying they were damaging to democracy.

The Election Code was amended conclusively at a nearly 14-hour debate on April 29, the last day before the Easter recess, and
the changes were promulgated on May 1.

Edi Rama wrote on Facebook on Tuesday that his party has won the parliamentary elections and called on his supporters and "whoever wants to join us celebrate the victory" to attend a celebration in the evening in Tirana's central square despite concerns about the spreading of the coronavirus.

At its first meeting on Wednesday, the legal committee of the new Bulgarian Parliament took up proposed changes in the election legislation - a total of six bills - and a draft moratorium on some decisions made by the outgoing government.