Balgarianovinite.com At a parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and the caretaker Minister of Electronic Governance, George Sharkov, spoke about the preparations for the early parliamentary elections on April 19.
Electronic Governance Minister
Sharkov said the preparations are following a well-established procedure. At the heart of the procedure is a timeline related to machine voting, the certification of the technical devices for that voting, and the provision of video surveillance, the minister said. “There is still no signed contract between the Central Election Commission and the contractor responsible for servicing the [voting] machines. Once it is finalized, we have subsequent steps for which we are prepared,” he pointed out. A working group has been formed to update the methodology for certification of compliance under the Election Code, Sharkov said. “There is no evidence whatsoever of possibilities to manipulate the Smartmatic voting machines,” said Minister Sharkov. He noted that ultimately, the voting machines function as printers, and it is the ballots that are being counted. “If there is a technical malfunction, I guarantee now that no such machine could influence the vote, because it will not work,” Sharkov said. “The machines reaching the polling stations will have been technically checked, and we have ensured that the code is secure.”
Regarding accusations of dependencies, Sharkov said: “I have over 2,500 contacts in my phone, including many of you, all of which have always been on professional topics related to my specialty: cybersecurity.” He went on to state: “I have not had any special, explicit meetings—only a single professional meeting with MP Bozhidar Bozhanov, specifically regarding details of the election procedure.”
Central Election Commission
CEC Chair Kameliya Neykova said the Commission has issued guidance that consultations with municipal mayors regarding the membership of section election commissions (SECs) should not take place before March 12. Fears are that if the consultations are held earlier, this will allow time for last-minute mass replacement of SEC members, a practice which the Constitutional Court has declared to be flawed. Parliamentary parties are advised to solicit declarations of consent from future SEC members, so that these individuals would know they were being proposed and there would be no replacements after appointment, said CEC Deputy Chair Rositsa Mateva. Therefore, the CEC has recommended mayors not to rush the public consultations, Mateva added.
Neykova said the CEC had proposed that the seals on the voting machines be provided and applied by state officials, but the executive branch did not adopt the measure, so the seals are still placed by the contractor, Ciela Norma. Neykova also highlighted a new incentive: section election commission members who fill out their tally sheets without errors will receive a reward.
MPs’ reactions
Georgi Krastev (GERB-UDF) said the mantra of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and the caretaker government about “fair elections” collapsed. Krastev added that the caretaker government is effectively for the service of CC-DB. Criticizing MP Bozhidar Bozhanov (CC-DB) for meeting the minister, Krastev described such contacts as “strange and self-interested.”
Bozhanov countered by slamming what he called “petty intrigues and attempts at minor politicking” during the hearing. He noted that as Electronic Government Committee chair or deputy chair, he routinely meets any incoming minister.
Angel Slavchev (Vazrazhdane) urged Electronic Governance Minister George Sharkov to resign.
Stanislav Anastasov (MRF – New Beginning) insisted that his party is not against machine voting per se, but against machines “proven to be compromised.”
Krasimira Katincharova (Velichie) expressed hope that the CEC would select appropriate paper for the machines to reduce the number of invalid ballots. Parliament Told that Election Preparations Go According to Plan, Members Fear Undue Interference 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-11 15:38:03 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law