Bulgaria: Minister Vasilev outlines election machine security and procurement transparency

Bulgarian Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation Ivan Vasilev has outlined measures to ensure the integrity of machine voting for the upcoming presidential elections on October 25. To prevent doubts regarding the accuracy of vote counting, the Ministry aims to make the technical verification process transparent by involving citizens, NGOs, and the media. The Central Election Commission has initiated a public procurement process to inspect voting machines and replace components with expired warranties to ensure technical readiness.

Vasilev also discussed the development of the ‘Sigma’ system, a tool designed to increase transparency in public spending. The system currently sees over 30,000 daily visits. An upcoming second version will integrate data from the Commercial Register and declarations from public officials to identify potential conflicts of interest between politicians and companies winning public contracts. Future iterations aim to provide proactive control over the procurement process to prevent rigged tenders and artificial price inflation.