GERB, DPS and BSP accepted the return of paper ballot and made automatic voting meaningless. This happened during the consideration of the second reading in the Parliamentary Legal Committee of the bill to amend the electoral code.
The three formations of the so-called “paper vote” coalition supported the initial proposal of the socialists in the sections with more than 300 voters to vote not only with machines, but also with paper ballots, as was the case in April last year. The minor sections will continue to vote only on paper, as is the case now.
At the same time, at GERB’s suggestion, the commission decided to make the voting machine meaningless. Their ideas of counting receipts from voting machines like ballot papers and counting them, rather than using data from the devices, have been embraced. Furthermore, the recording and electronic transmission of automatic voting data is eliminated. The machines will thus become a simple printer for manually counting ballot papers, and this will once again lengthen the time required for the announcement of election results.
This, together with the return of the document, risks delaying the declaration of results after the election and making it difficult for sectional committee members to report results.
And although the BSP, GERB and DPS argument for returning the paper was that some people are concerned about machine voting, the three formations did not support the DB’s idea of having a lifelong learning unit that familiarize regularly citizens with how the devices work.
“The majority has decided to overturn the Electoral Code”said DB’s Nadezhda Yordanova.
The DPS’s idea that current voting machines should no longer be used was rejected.
The PP’s proposal to create special sections for paper voting only, and to vote only with devices in the rest, was not accepted either. The idea of the training was that even if a particular voter is registered in sections with automatic voting, he can, on Election Day, declare his willingness to vote in that section only with paper ballots, filling out a declaration that he will not vote elsewhere.
The members of the CEC – from 15 to 25. The commission will be replaced after each vote for the National Assembly
A proposal by “Vazrazhdane” that the CEC members increase from 15 to 25 and that the current composition be replaced when new parliamentary elections are held during his tenure was also accepted.
The aim in practice is that the commission always reflects the composition of the last elected National Assembly. According to current legislation, the CEC is an independent state body, is made up of 15 members and is renewed once every 5 years, with candidates proposed by the parties, but if in the meantime there are elections, the already elected composition will not change.
Again, at GERB’s suggestion, the Public Council at the CEC was also closed. Before the vote, the chairman of the public council, Tsvetelina Peneva, took the floor and stressed that she sees no reason for closure: the council does not spend state funds and represents many different non-governmental organizations. PP and DB repeatedly asked about the reasons for the requested closure, but received no response, and shortly before the vote, GERB’s Radomir Cholakov admitted that if he were a member of the CEC, he would consult NGOs.
The “Paper Ballot” coalition eliminated the Chuzhbina electoral district
Still on the proposal of the GERB, the legal commission accepted the abolition of the still unintroduced “Chuzbina” electoral district and increased the number of applications necessary for the opening of sections abroad from 40 to 100. The proposals were voted on by a coalition “paper ballot”.
With last year’s changes to the law, there were plans to create a multi-mandate constituency for foreign countries. It was to be introduced after the results of the latest count were announced after the October election.
However, GERB doesn’t want to have such a region and suggested deleting the lyrics.
The accepted requests of the GERB on overseas voting were proposed between the two readings of the original draft, but have nothing to do with it. However, this also applies to most of the other texts considered by the commission.
Attempt to adjourn meeting
At the beginning of the meeting PP, DB and “Vazrazhdane” did not register for a quorum and did not have the necessary majority to be able to start considering the bills. However, with the belated appearance of a deputy from the GERB, the “paper vote” coalition got down to business, and during the second quorum check, deputies from PP, DB and “Vazrazhdane” also entered the chamber.
DB’s Nadezhda Yordanova was the first to speak and asked to postpone the examination of the texts, because the deputies did not have the necessary time to familiarize themselves with the voluminous proposals between the two readings, which were presented on Tuesday evening , and on Wednesday, before the start of the commission, there was a plenary session.
The PP’s Milen Mateev asked for the same, but added that the current meeting contradicts the rules recently adopted by the 48th National Assembly, according to which an opinion must be sought from the competent ministry on the proposals between the two readings, and this was not done.
Miroslav Ivanov of the PP said that with the proposals between readings, the report became 67 pages, and in small print, and he did not see how, with so little time to review the proposals, quality legislation could come of it. In the end, however, their insistence was not accepted and the deputies began to examine the reports.
Committee Chairman Radomir Cholakov admitted that almost all of the proposals between the two readings were outside the scope of the original bill, but still suggested that all texts be considered. The idea was accepted, despite criticisms from PP and DB that there were texts that were mutually exclusive.
