The Legal Affairs Committee rejected the proposal for 100% machine voting, but the final decision on the election rules is yet to be made in the plenary hall.
The topic was commented on by the MEP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party and a member of the party's Executive Bureau in resignation, Christian Vigenin, in the program “Offensive with Lyubo Ognyanov” on NOVA NEWS.
According to him, the introduction of new scanning machines immediately before the elections is a serious risk. “This means questioning the conduct of the elections themselves and their results. The elections are knocking at the door, and such significant changes are not advisable”, said Vigenin. According to him, insisting on such changes at the last minute could lead to the tainting of the vote.
The BSP's position, the MEP explained, is that the possible introduction of scanning machines should apply to the next elections, after a sufficient testing period. “We want at least one year for testing. The current machines were also tested several times before they were finally introduced”, he emphasized.
According to Vigenin, the previous control counts have shown minimal discrepancies, which provides an additional guarantee of transparency. He also allowed the preservation of the paper ballot for voters who prefer this method of voting.
Regarding the proposal to cancel the second stamp on the ballots, Vigenin explained that the topic is related to the scanning machines and requires additional technological discussion. “Our focus at the moment is to guarantee the fair conduct of the current vote. We have time for the rest,” he said.
The MEP also commented on the limitation of the number of sections outside diplomatic and consular offices in countries outside the European Union. He recalled that this has been a long-standing position of the BSP and defined it as a reasonable measure that facilitates the organization of the vote, reduces costs and limits doubts about the tainting of the election results.
Vigenin also expressed his position on the topic of closing the anti-corruption commission. According to him, even when it was established, there was a lack of a thorough analysis of its effectiveness. “Obviously, the commission has serious problems and is not achieving the goals for which it was created,” he said.
The MEP emphasized that in the event of its closure, an effective fight against corruption and a well-functioning prosecutor's office must be guaranteed.