Basic integrity of the members of the Electoral Commission and good training are necessary. The crossed out and wrong protocols are the result of poor preparation - that is, ignorance. This was said by the advisor to the acting Prime Minister on election issues Vanya Nusheva in “Hello, Bulgaria“.
She reported 106 reports of election crimes received. “The number of pre-trial proceedings is 43. There is sufficient data collected as a result of the inspections of the Ministry of Interior. Election crimes have been prepared. Organized vote buying occurs with the assistance of individuals involved in other criminal activities“, Nusheva believes.
According to her, it is particularly important to clarify the rights and obligations of everyone within the electoral process. “Political parties nominate the members of the CEC, and no one else has the right to correct them. They can also nominate convicted persons. We have proposed changes to the Election Code, through which those proven to have participated in violations in a previous vote would not be able to participate again. This proposal was not accepted, although it met with understanding. We also proposed a register of people who have undergone training to become members of the CEC, but this was not approved either“, Nusheva said.
She noted that one of Andrey Gyurov's first messages to the CEC was to take action to improve training for members. “The screens will prevent two violations - the impossibility of filming the ballot without anyone seeing it and the practice of the so-called Indian thread - with a pre-filled ballot to replace the blank one. This is possible if a member of the SIC brings one out, and then the ballot numbers are not checked“, the prime minister's advisor pointed out.
According to Nusheva, screens are already being used in some municipalities in implementation of a 2022 provision. “Each specific action solves one or several problems. Video surveillance is very important, it allows all citizens, not only observers, to see that sometimes members of the SIC allow themselves to commit illegal actions. Sanctioning their violations should become a practice. The sanctions so far have been conditional, accompanied by significant fines“, the election expert noted.
Regarding voting abroad, Nusheva revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is systematizing information on where the number of applications from citizens is higher in order to provide enough places for the creation of sections outside diplomatic missions. She mentioned that there are no restrictions on the number of sections in the consulates themselves. Nusheva described their limitation to 20 outside diplomatic missions as a hasty decision.