Preparations for the presidential vote are in full swing, and the CEC has approved the most important dates until the elections. By September 6, the CEC must publish the list of polling stations and the number of voters in them. By September 22, the commission must have received all proposals for candidates for president and vice president.
No later than 31 days before the elections, a draw will determine the numbers on the ballot. The election campaign opens at midnight on September 25 and ends the day before the vote. Within three days after the elections, the commission must announce the final results of the vote.
For voting abroad - by September 29, Bulgarians who wish to vote must submit an application.
“In the last elections in April, we had 130 polling stations outside the country, and in 2021, in the previous presidential and vice-presidential elections, we had about 210, so in polling stations with over 300 people there will again be machine voting,“ said CEC spokesperson Stoyanka Balova.
After the latest changes to the Electoral Code, voting this time will take place entirely by machine, with the exception of polling stations with under 300 voters.
“The CEC is currently preparing a public procurement procedure for repairing the machines, our goal and ambition is for all over 12 thousand machines to be put into use by election day. We are discussing the possibility of having two machines in the larger sections, but if the machine malfunctions and stops, we will continue with paper voting“, Balova also said.
Meanwhile, another politician is entering the race for “Dondukov 2“. With a request for a strong, supra-party position in the battle for “Dondukov 2“, former Minister of Agriculture Ivan Hristanov officially joined.
“We will announce the candidate for vice president when we submit the documents, for understandable reasons“, said Hristanov. According to him, he has a civic, public and expert profile.
In addition to the former Minister of Agriculture, current President Iliyana Yotova has also announced her participation in the race, and her candidacy will be nominated by an initiative committee. Prime Minister Rumen Radev has already given support for Yotova. The question remains open whether former acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov will run for president, along with former Secretary General Georgi Kandev. The Bulgarian National Union of Socialists and Democrats also nominated a presidential candidate - former Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev.