BSP supports the idea of introducing optical devices for scanning ballots, but insists that this should not happen immediately, but after a postponement.
“There is no perfect technology. Machines are not a panacea“, said the chairman of the BSP-Sofia City Council Ivan Takov and reminded that the BSP is still conducting a case related to machine voting in Sofia during the run-off of the mayoral elections.
According to him, various irregularities were found during the inspections - from missing data carriers to problems with documents and printouts. According to him, this shows that just changing the technical means will not automatically restore trust in the vote.
Takov insisted that the pre-election debate shift from technique to content.
„I hope that we will not talk about the method of voting. We will talk about the policies that the different parties propose“, he said.
BSP Congress on February 7-8 and election of a new chairman
BSP is preparing for a pre-election congress on February 7 and 8, with one of the main topics being the party's pre-election platform.
Takov announced that he is heading the working group preparing it and that, according to him, there is a „desire for work“ and participation of representatives from different generations in the party.
The agenda of the congress also includes the election of a new chairman. Takov did not rule out any possibilities, but specified that the decision depends on the nominations. He did not answer categorically whether he would accept an invitation for nomination.
„The procedure has already begun. I do not rule out any option“, he said.
On the topic of President Rumen Radev, Takov stated that the BSP rather views him as a partner, but specified that the key thing would be what policies and team he would stand for if a new political project emerged.
Garbage in Sofia
The conversation also commented on the crisis with garbage collection in some of the capital's neighborhoods. Takov described the situation as a “blatant failure“ of Mayor Vasil Terziev and stated that, in his words, there is no specific plan to deal with it.
The BSP has submitted a proposal to exempt citizens in areas without regular service from garbage fees for the relevant period – “the least that can be done“, according to Takov.