site.btaCEC Reports on Problems during Election Day

May 26 (BTA) - Addressing journalists here after the
start of Sunday's European Parliament elections, Central
Election Commission (CEC) member and Spokesperson Alexander
Andreev said that machine voting has been cancelled in voting
section 18 in the western city of Pernik because of a faulty
machine. In case the machine cannot be fixed, voting continues
with  standard paper ballots. 

He went onto say that problems were reported with voting
machines in a section in the northeastern city of Dobrich, but
those have been fixed. Two voting sections in the southeastern
city of Kurdzhali also  experienced problems. One has been fixed
 and the other one is being repaired. There is also one machine
in Sofia's Slatina borough, which is also in the process of
being repaired, he noted.

At a briefing later on Sunday, Andreev said that due to
problems, machine voting had to be cancelled in a total of 10
voting sections (in Vidin, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Pernik,
Shoumen, Sliven, Sofia, and Sofia Region), which is less than 1
per cent of the 3,000 voting machines used on election day
across Bulgaria. The votes already cast using these machines
will be counted using the verified slip printed by the machines
after each vote, he specified.

Andreev also said that the CEC has received 71 alerts and
complaints on election day thus far, most of which related to a
violation of the election campaign (11), machine voting (10),
and the organization of the elections and voting rights (45).

Alerts have been received about three media having published
data on election results before the election day's end, which is
 prohibited by the Election Code, Andreev said. 
 
MY, RY/MY, DS