site.btaConstitutional Court President Wonders Why Seven Days Have Not Been Enough to Recalculate Data from 2,204 Polling Stations

Given that election service operator Information Services can process the data from more than 12,000 polling stations in less than 72 hours after parliamentary elections, one wonders why the company has been unable to recalculate the data from just 2,204 polling stations in seven days, Constitutional Court President Pavlina Panova said on Tuesday, interviewed by Bulgarian National Radio.

Asked which institutions are sabotaging the Constitutional Court, Panova said the only institution communicating with the Constitutional Court is the Central Election Commission. The Central Election Commission has relegated the calculations to the Information Services company. "The sabotage is taking place somewhere along the chain. The Constitutional Court sent the materials for the recalculation to the Central Election Commission on February 26, and the Central Election Commission notified us it submitted all data to Information Services under a contract dated March 4. During the week between March 4 and March 10, Information Services has failed to provide final data to the Central Election Commission, which is supposed to notify us," Panova said.

Three letters were received in which the Central Election Commission asked for clarification of information. The Constitutional Court responded immediately, in less than an hour, Panova said. She wondered why a whole week has not been enough for Information Services to recalculate the election results from 2,204 polling stations.

In her words, the Constitutional Court and the Central Election Commission are the authorities which can alert the Prosecution Service to possible evidence of offence. Until the Constitutional Court announces its decision, it may not make public its evidence. Nor may any other state institution, which has access to the evidence for some reason, provide it to another institution without the Constitutional Court's permission, Panova said.

"No one should be able to get information on the case while the trial is pending," she argued. "If there is any pressure, it is not exerted directly on the Constitutional Court, because the Constitutional Court will work with the data to be submitted by the Central Election Commission."