PP-DB coalition on scanning devices: The plan is to bring back the paper ballot

The governing parties are carrying out an attack on the electoral process. They are proposing voting with scanners that even they themselves do not know how to operate, said Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria and deputy chair of the "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB) parliamentary group, speaking to journalists in connection with yesterday’s meeting of the parliamentary legal committee. At that meeting, it was decided to introduce devices that scan paper ballots on which voters mark their choice by hand. According to him, “the plan is to bring back the paper ballot as punishment for the protest that brought down the government.”

The coalition, whose demand for 100% machine voting was rejected, believes that there is not enough time before the upcoming elections to announce a public procurement procedure and deliver such devices. If the Central Election Commission (CEC) determines too late that it cannot use the new machines, then it will also be unable to use the old ones, as there will be no time to prepare them. Thus, the only remaining option will be paper voting, explained We Continue the Change leader Assen Vassilev, quoted by BTA.

With the adopted provisions, the second stamp on the ballot and the comparison of the ballot number with the stub are also eliminated, which means that ballots not issued by the commission can be brought into the voting booth, Vassilev added.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova
English version: R. Petkova