Ciela Norma CEO addresses voting machine issues in Bulgaria

Veselin Todorov, CEO of Ciela Norma, the supplier of voting machines, reported that only approximately 0.3% of machines experienced issues during the first round of the presidential and vice-presidential elections. He noted that machines that stalled during voting accounted for just 0.2% of all devices used.

Todorov stated that the average cost to repair a single machine was approximately 115 euros, noting that the machines had not undergone maintenance for six years. He described the overall machine-based voting result as perfect, attributing this to the successful repair of all voting devices.

Specific technical issues reported included four to five instances of printer and paper problems, a similar number of card reader issues, and several instances of burnt screens. He also explained that the lack of privacy screens on some machines was due to broken panels, though cardboard screens were provided to ensure ballot secrecy.