Bulgaria faces concerns over election commission changes

Massive changes are occurring within section election commissions (SIK) in Bulgaria just one week before the presidential elections. Concerns have been raised regarding the reappearance of individuals involved in previous electoral irregularities.

In Belitsa, two members of a commission that was previously caught on video tampering with ballots during the October 2024 parliamentary elections are set to count votes again. While the individual directly filmed filling out blank ballots is not participating in the current elections, two other members present during the incident remain on the list. Yoana Lozanova-Palankova, head of the Blagoevgrad Regional Election Commission (RIK), noted that such individuals cannot be removed from the lists unless they resign voluntarily, suggesting the creation of a ‘black list’ to flag problematic persons.

In Montana, authorities are maintaining increased attention following a previous incident in Gabrovnitsa involving a woman caught on video marking ballots. Regional election officials clarified that they cannot refuse candidates proposed by political parties as long as they meet the basic system criteria, noting that the commission does not have access to criminal records within their specific system.