site.btaUPDATED President Radev: Machine Voting Is One Way to Restore Confidence in Elections

Addressing the students of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv on Thursday, President Rumen Radev said, “We are witnessing the illiteracy of members of polling station commissions, so the way votes are cast and tallied should be changed cardinally. Machine voting is one of the ways to tackle this problem. It is one of the ways to restore confidence in elections.”

President Radev visited the institution at the invitation of the Students' Council to deliver a lecture on the place and role of young people in Bulgaria in the dynamic world of the 21st century. 

"What has happened recently - the institutions have delegitimized each other. This totally alienates people from the electoral process. This is unacceptable for a democratic country because fair elections are in the foundation of democracy," Radev added. 

In his words, the most important component for successful leadership is personal example. "When the government manages to convince young people that it is pure and unblemished in its intentions, that it acts from principled positions and that it thinks about the common good and not about its own self-interest and ego, then the youth will follow the government. Otherwise, the state is not run by falsehood, by manipulation. This, in my opinion, is the only way to restore trust," the head of State further said.

Some of the main highlights in Radev's remarks were about the important choices of young people on whether to continue their lives and professional development in Bulgaria or to seek success abroad, outlining to the students some of the advantages of staying in Bulgaria. He said the opportunities for young people in Bulgaria are growing and those with clear ambition, effort and perseverance will make it professionally in high positions.

President Radev underscored the need for the development of educational and scientific infrastructure in Bulgaria, the involvement of young people in socially significant causes, policies for young families, and the promotion of physical activity.