site.btaVazrazhdane Calls for New Parliamentary Elections by Changed Rules and Disbanding Constitutional Court

Speaking at a news briefing in Parliament on Tuesday, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov called for new parliamentary elections by changed rules, the disbanding of the Constitutional Court (CC) and the dissolution of the election service provider Information Services (IS).  

Earlier in the day, the National Assembly held a hearing of the leadership of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and IS regarding a constitutional case on the lawfulness of the October 2024 parliamentary elections.

Kostadinov said that the country needs "a restart" and outlined "steps to restore public trust in the political system, democracy, and the electoral process". He said that, first and foremost, the elections should be annulled and new ones should be scheduled with machine voting only. Kostadinov stressed the need for new machines that would scan hand-filled paper ballots to prevent them from being counted by section election commissions. He added that only constituency election commissions and the Central Election Commission should handle the counting to avoid the inflation of the number of ballots.

He also called for the dissolution of the Constitutional Court, arguing that its actions in the past few years have rendered its existence "meaningless". "It is a political body elected by the National Assembly. The very way in which CC members are elected is flawed, and this is why this institution should be dissolved," Kostadinov said.

The Vazrazhdane leader demanded the dissolution of IS, asking "what exactly do this company and the people in it do?" Kostadinov also questioned the need for an intermediary between the section election commissions, constituency election commissions, and the Central Election Commission.

Kostadinov called for the disbandment of the Central Election Commission in its current composition and the election of a new one. Vazrazhdane has been part of political life for four years now and it still has no representatives in the CEC "because that is how the law is made," Kostadinov said.

As to reports of lost votes from seven voting sections, Kostadinov said that this was a matter for the prosecution service. "However, it is an organized crime group that operates when you push its buttons," he added.