site.btaParliament Eliminates Machine Voting in Local Elections

114 - POLITICS - ELECTION CODE - MACHINE VOTING

Parliament Eliminates
Machine
Voting in Local Elections


Sofia, July 14 (BTA) - Parliament abolished Wednesday machine voting for the local elections. The revisions to the Election Code passed on 129-69 votes and one abstention, leaving machine voting only in the elections for national and European Parliament, and President.

During the debate GERB suggested that the Election Code should be revisited after the local elections in October in a bid to reach a consensus.

The opposition Socialist party saw in GERB's actions an attempt to secure a victory by default in the local elections for themselves.

GERB's initial proposal was for eliminating machine voting for local and parliamentary elections. Between first and second reading, they changed their mind and left machine voting for general, presidential and European elections.

The Socialists remained the only ones in the debating chamber who opposed the abolishing of machine voting. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms supported the revisions in the final vote despite their opposition earlier in the legislating procedure. IG/LN

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