The possibility of replacing members of section election commissions (SIC) will be limited to the maximum, said the deputy chairperson and spokesperson of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Rositsa Mateva in the program "Sunday 150" on the Bulgarian National Radio.
She pointed out that the members of the SIC have already been appointed, with the deadline being March 24, and there are still requests for replacements from the parliamentaryly represented parties and coalitions. This time we all agree that replacements will be carried out only and only in situations where the requirements of the Electoral Code are met, said Mateva. She added that if any member of a sectional commission refuses, the District Election Commission (DEC) must be provided with a written request to be removed - handwritten with their names and signed by hand.
Mateva said that the district election commissions will train the sectional ones between Palm Sunday and Easter or after Easter, immediately before the elections, in order to have maximum effect. We have optimized the sectional protocol, in which the voting results will be entered, indicated the deputy chairman of the CEC. The part in which the votes for parties and coalitions will be entered, resembles the ballot, so as not to confuse the representatives of the commissions and to make it easier for them, she said. Mateva added that a mobile application with an electronic protocol for checking the correct entry and calculation of results is also being developed.
Regarding the polling stations abroad, the Deputy Chairperson of the CEC indicated that for the first time in the UK, seven polling stations will be opened in the embassy in London. She explained that after the restriction introduced in the Electoral Code for up to 20 polling stations outside diplomatic and consular missions in non-EU countries, the idea was to open as many polling stations as the premises allow.
Mateva announced that the polling stations in the UK are 28 - 20 that are permitted by law, seven in the embassy in London and one in the diplomatic mission in Edinburgh. In the US, the polling stations will be 24, of which four in diplomatic and consular missions in Washington, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. There will be 27 polling stations in Turkey - 20, according to the legal limit, three in Ankara, two in Istanbul and one each in Bursa and Edirne, which will be in the consular services and the consulate general, she specified.
Rositsa Mateva said that in these elections twice as many applications for voting abroad were submitted, which, in addition to opening a polling station, also serve to include voters in the electoral lists. The voter included in the list will not fill out a declaration and this will facilitate the process, she explained and expressed hope that this will help to avoid delays and crowds in front of the polling stations.