site.btaPresident Radev Meets with Newly Elected Central Election Commission

112 POLITICS - PRESIDENT - CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION - MEETING

President Radev Meets
with Newly Elected
Central Election Commission


Sofia, March 22 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Friday held a meeting with the management of the newly elected Central Election Commission (CEC), where he said that the public should not doubt the transparency of the upcoming European Parliament elections. The new CEC Chair, Stefka Stoeva, and former chair Ivilina Aleksieva also attended the meeting, Radev's Press Secretariat said.

The President noted that continuity in the work of the CEC is a key factor for its success, as the elections are approaching. Radev listed the good organization of the elections as a key priority. He noted that the people will rely on the efforts and high professionalism of the CEC for the elections' organization, the counting of results and the exercising of the right to vote.

The meeting included a discussion of what should be done to decrease the number of manipulations and invalid ballots, the process of preparing the election chronograph, and machine voting.

Radev noted the importance of not allowing machine voting to be compromised and of meeting the public's expectations. He called for a software and physical protection of machine voting.

He also said he will organize a new meeting with the CEC and with e-Government State Agency representatives after the elections for a discussion on developing a map for an experimental introduction and adoption of electronic voting. Millions of Bulgarians both abroad and in the country are expecting the e-voting, Radev noted.

Stefka Stoeva said the CEC aims to protect citizens' interests and to provide fair and just elections and correctly counted votes.

The first working session of the new CEC will be held Friday where machine voting and the public procurement related to it will be discussed. Work on the criteria for the just territorial distribution of the minimum of 3,000 voting machines will also begin. LI/TH

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