Voting

Interior Minister Niki Kerameos and Deputy Minister Theodoris Livanios gave further details at a press conference on Thursday on the introduction of postal voting to the European elections.

The minister clarified that the postal voting bill does not currently concern the general elections, but only European elections and referenda.

In the decisive runoff for Sofia's mayoral seat, the battle wasn't just between candidates Vasil Terziev and Vanya Grigorova; it extended to the method voters preferred - traditional ballots or electronic machines. A noteworthy 291,000 voters embraced the efficiency of technology, opting for machine voting, while 146,000 adhered to the familiarity of paper ballots.

The Central Electoral Commission (CEC) has reported that the election day has been proceeding normally as of 5:00 PM. There have been 18 complaints and 27 reports related to various irregularities so far, with the majority of them being addressed to the Regional Electoral Commissions (RECs).

As the polls opened for the election day, initial data on voter turnout in various Bulgarian cities has started to emerge. These figures provide an early glimpse into civic engagement and participation in the ongoing elections. According to exit poll data from the Gallup agency, reported by NOVA, here are the voter turnout percentages in several key cities as of 09:00:

As Bulgaria gears up for the crucial second round of local elections on Sunday, an estimated 5,900 polling stations are poised to introduce machine voting. The Central Elections Commission (CEC) has been working diligently to ensure the successful implementation of this technology, with discussions and collaborations involving multiple institutions.

Voter turnout for the whole country as of 11:00 am is at 12.3%, Central Election Commission Spokesperson Rositsa Mateva said at a briefing Saturday at 11:30 am. 

The lowest turnout is registered in Plovdiv - 7.25%, and the highest in Bolyarovo Municipality (Southeastern Bulgaria) - 33.94%.

"The Central Election Commission's decision was taken in violation of the Election Code". This was stated by Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov in a statement in front of journalists.

He made serious criticisms of the CEC's decision to stop machine voting.

A new bill concerning the voting rights of Greeks living abroad is expected to be submitted to Parliament. As is known, a majority of 200 votes is required for the legislative proposal to be ratified.

A bill that will lift restrictions for Greek citizens voting in elections abroad was posted for public consultation by the Interior Ministry on Monday.

BELGRADE - Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic won a no-confidence vote in the parliament on Wednesday.

Thirty-seven of 192 MPs in attendance voted in favour of an opposition motion of no confidence for Gasic, 148 voted against and seven took no part in the vote.