The Public Council to Bulgaria’s electoral body, the Central Electoral Commission, or CIK, on Thursday said the future of electronic voting in Bulgaria must be determined after thorough analyses and public debate. “The drastic increase in the number of the machines [for voting] in use without enough time for preparation could become an obstacle to the organization of the electoral process”, the council, which brings together experts from the civil sector, noted. The statement comes after interim Interior Minister Stefan Yanev, whose ministry is in charge of organizing the vote on March 26 said the state will provide machines for all polling stations in Bulgaria and abroad. The minister said the CIK will be in charge of organizing a public procurement for around 13,000 voting machines, without specifying whether they will be rented or purchased or how much this would cost.
Yanev met representatives of CIK on Thursday, after the Supreme Administrative Court on Wednesday ruled that the electoral body has to provide machines for electronic voting for all 12,000 polling stations in the country.
Ealier, on January 28, the electoral commission decided to provide voting machines for only 500 polling stations across Bulgaria, saying it was impractical to secure one for every polling station by March 26, when the early elections will be held.
The court overthrew this decision, citing а 2014 amendment to the electoral code, giving all Bulgarians the right to choose whether to vote with a paper ballot or via a machine.
Full Article: Bulgaria Experts Slate Electronic Voting Ruling :: Balkan Insight.