Bulgaria's CEC outlines voting machine protocols and election preparations

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of Bulgaria has outlined several protocols and preparations for the upcoming elections. To ensure transparency, section election commissions will perform a manual control count of machine-printed receipts. While the official result will be based on the machine's protocol, the manual count will serve as a verification mechanism to detect discrepancies.

Regarding technical readiness, the CEC aims to have 12,800 machines in working order by October 15 following maintenance and repairs. If a machine fails and cannot be fixed within minutes, the district election commission will be notified, and the section will switch to paper ballots. In previous elections, approximately 1% of machines experienced malfunctions.

Financial and media regulations are also in place. Candidates not receiving subsidies or initiative committees are eligible for media packages worth approximately 21,000 euros. To maintain oversight, the CEC has established a public register of these expenditures, which will be updated every Tuesday. Additionally, the CEC is focusing on training election administration to minimize errors caused by fatigue or lack of preparation.