Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Voting in the local elections will use old voting machines

Kamelia Neikova
Photo: BGNES

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has repeatedly proposed to develop new software for the machine voting so that there is no foreign involvement, but has not received a response from any institution. This was announced by CEC chairperson Kamelia Neikova during a parliamentary hearing on the reliability of machine voting. She explained that with the voting software acquired through a contract in 2021, not a single technical decision can be taken without the participation of its creator, Smartmatic International Holding.


The Chairperson of the CEC also said that in the local elections on October 29 this year there will be no new machines and voting will be done with the already purchased nearly 13,000 devices. According to her, they are stored in a private warehouse, because the Council of Ministers did not secure a state one, as required by the Electoral Code.

For the security of machine voting, a number of checks and tests are carried out, in addition, the Ministry of the Interior and the National Security Agency check all people with access to the warehouse where the machines are stored, and will work on their preparation and delivery to the election commission, Kamelia Neikova added.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov supports the peace plan for Ukraine

“Borders cannot be changed by force, and Ukraine’s long-term security must be guaranteed”, Bulgaria’s Premier Rossen Zhelyazkov said during a videoconference meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing”, led by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK..

published on 11/26/25 8:57 AM

Bulgaria and China discuss cooperation in the automotive sector

Business forum on the topic "Bulgaria - China: cooperation in the automotive sector" is being held on November 26 in Sofia. Its organizers are the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Embassy of the People's Republic of..

published on 11/26/25 7:30 AM

Draft budget 2026 sparks protests

The Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association has called for participation in a protest on November 26 against the budget for 2026, which is about to be adopted at second reading. "We call not only our members, but also all..

published on 11/26/25 6:50 AM