site.bta Public Board Says March 26 Elections Were Better Organized than Previous General Elections

Public Board Says March 26 Elections Were Better Organized than Previous General Elections

Sofia, May 17 (BTA) - A public board with the Central Election Commission (CEC) believes that the March 26 general elections were better organized than the previous general elections held in 2014, CEC said Wednesday. A key persistent issue remains the functioning of many of the section election commissions formed by representatives of the political parties: inadequate preparation of the commission members, lack of commitment and change of commission members in the very last moment created problems on the election date, be it not of the magnitude seen in the past.

The CEC public board says that for the first time in long years new elections are not due in the coming months and now is the best time to prepare and organize electronic voting (by machines in the voting section and by Internet); to consider and put to public debate the necessary legal revisions; and to discuss the model for appointing members to the section election commissions, their training and subsequent certification.

The CEC public board underscore that it is extremely important for the Bulgarian society that all changes in the election process - as well as the consequences of these - be discussed and explained.

The confidence in the political system and the state institutions does not depend solely on whether we have fair and democratic elections, but also on how far voters understand and are capable of monitoring each stage of the election process.

The CEC public board is a forum of the civil society and includes representatives of 14 election monitoring organizations.