A total of 6.59 million people will be eligible to vote in Bulgaria’s October 25 presidential election, including 46,001 first-time voters, Central Election Commission (CEC) Spokesperson Stoyanka Balova said on Tuesday at a regular briefing on election preparations.
Machine voting will be available in 9,373 polling stations across the country, with two machines in 2,249 of them, Balova said. A total of 11,622 voting machines will be used on election day.
She added that rolls of paper for the machines are already being distributed. Polling stations with one machine will receive two rolls, while those with two machines will receive five. The paper supplies will remain under strict security until election day.
A total of 613 polling stations will be opened abroad, with machine voting available at 242 of them and two machines provided at 24, Balova said. If a runoff is held, new machines will be sent to polling stations abroad.The CEC has also adopted guidelines for section election commissions outside Bulgaria, and their members are expected to be appointed by the end of Tuesday.
For voters with disabilities, 1,500 tactile templates for paper ballots will be printed by October 23, corresponding to the number of designated polling stations. Demax AD printing house will deliver them to the relevant district election commissions, which, together with municipal administrations, will distribute the templates and CEC instructions.Balova explained that the tactile template covers the entire ballot and has square and circular openings allowing voters to mark their choice. The numbers of parties and initiative committees, as well as the “I support no one” option, are written in Braille. The electoral district is also indicated in Braille at the top.
Voters with visual impairments or reduced mobility will be able to vote at designated accessible polling stations, mainly located on the ground floors of buildings. They may choose any suitable designated station, while visually impaired voters may vote independently. Where a visual, hearing or other disability prevents a voter from carrying out the necessary voting procedures, the commission chair may allow them to vote, including by machine, with the assistance of a companion chosen by the voter.
Polling stations may also be established in hospitals, elderly care homes, specialized social service institutions, prisons and detention facilities, as well as aboard vessels sailing under the Bulgarian flag, provided there are at least 10 eligible voters.Voters in such facilities must notify the competent authorities by 5 pm on October 22 to be included on the relevant voter lists and removed from the lists at their permanent address. On election day, eligible voters may also be added to supplementary pages of the lists, commonly referred to as voting “below the line”. Staff on duty at the respective facilities may also be added in this way.
Voters who identify omissions or errors in the electoral rolls may apply for corrections by October 23. Balova also recalled that the election campaign ends at midnight on October 23 and that publication of opinion poll results is prohibited from midnight on October 24. Parties, coalitions and initiative committees have until 5 pm on October 24 to register candidate representatives with the district election commissions.
By October 27, district election commissions must send the CEC scanned copies of their voting records. By the same deadline, the CEC is expected to announce the election results and the names of the elected president and vice president, if a ticket wins in the first round. If no ticket is elected, the CEC will identify the two tickets with the highest number of votes and schedule a runoff for November 1, 2026.
Election day begins at 7 am and ends at 8 pm, or no later than 9 pm if voting is extended. The same hours apply abroad.After voting ends, section election commissions establish the results, draw up their protocols and submit them to the relevant district election commissions. Commissions abroad must establish the results and draw up their protocols within 24 hours, sending scanned copies to the CEC.
6.59 Million People Eligible to Vote in October 25 Presidential Election, CEC Spokesperson Says 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-20 12:39:00
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