site.btaPolitical Reactions to Institutions' Actions regarding Recalculation of Oct. 27 Elections

MPs from various political parties have commented on the actions of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and Information Services, Bulgaria’s national system integrator, on the February 26 Constitutional Court (CC) ordering a recount in connection with the challenge to the legality of the 51st National Assembly elections. 

National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova has called an emergency meeting of Parliament on Tuesday, at which CEC and Information Services CEO Ivaylo Filipov's leadership will be heard. Before that, there is expected to be a meeting of Parliament's Presiding Body.

On Monday, CC President Pavlina Pavlova said in an address that the CC's work to conclude the case challenging the legality of the October 27, 2024 parliamentary elections was being obstructed. On February 26, the Constitutional Court tasked the Central Election Commission (CEC) with recalculating the results of the elections. Panova said that after the Court gave its instructions, CEC posed additional questions on three occasions, and the Court responded promptly each time. “Nevertheless, on Friday, March 10, after 6 p.m., the Constitutional Court was informed that CEC continues to neglect its assigned task because Information Services handed over the materials related to the constitutional case, along with technical carriers and devices, to the Sofia City Prosecution Office without the Court’s permission,” she said. 

Earlier on Tuesday, Information Services clarified in a statement that on March 10, according to a prosecutor's file and in response to a letter received, the Sofia City Prosecution Office had requested to be provided with all the material on the computer processing and data entry of the protocols. Information Services wrote that they had not provided the Sofia Prosecutor's Office with the protocols sent by the CC, nor with copies of them.

CC reported on its website that the Sofia City Prosecution Office has requested Tuesday from the CC a number of documents related to the election case. 

Political reactions:

GERB-UDF MP Toma Bikov commented on entering the parliament building that all the facts and circumstances around what is happening need to be clarified in order for people to be calm. "What I think is worrying at the moment is that nobody can understand what is going on," he said.

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP Kiril Petkov commented that on Monday the prosecution service "was once again used as a bludgeon to obscure the clear result that these elections were very unfair". "For five months the prosecution service watched the televised broadcasts of ballot stuffing, the unfair election process, 'they kept mum', and suddenly yesterday at 6 a.m. they intervened sharply, harshly in this process, without it being their right," Petkov said. "Every time the bludgeon [acting Prosecutor General Borislav] Sarafov comes into play, we know that [Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski is usually behind," he added.

CC-DB Co-Floor Leader and former justice minister Nadejda Iordanova told the press in Parliament that there is no legal impediment to prevent the Constitutional Court  from doing its job and considering and pronouncing on the lawfulness of the October 2024 elections. "We are seeing hesitation in CEC and Information Services to implement the Constitutional Court's instructions to take into consideration the results of the court-appointed expert recount of ballots and recalculate the outcome. This institutional resistance - I don't want to call it an institutional war - is a cause of concern. Such behavior by the Constitutional Court, the CEC and Information Services is against the interests of Bulgarian people," Iordanova commented. CC-DB insist that all institutions "promptly fulfill their legal responsibilities and that the Constitutional Court issue a ruling on the complaints filed against the election results".

Vazrazhdane Deputy Floor Leader Petar Petrov said the party has long been saying that there is an organized criminal group that aims to change the election results mostly in favour of GERB and the MRF - New Beginning. "Everything that has come out in the last few days confirms that everyone is working in sync, no matter how much we have to watch a circus in black and in purple togas," he said.

Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski argued that the CEC is not doing its job. Asked whether the elections should be annulled, Peevski said that this is for the CC to decide. "If they do, we go to elections, which is a great option," he added. The MRF - New Beginning Floor Leader said that if there are stolen, missing ballots, the threshold for entering parliament is changed based on that. "Through the back door, a party is brought into Parliament. [...] Who needs it, we will find out later, who wants to destabilize the country - we will find out later," Peevski said.

BSP - United Left MP Andrey Valchev expressed the opinion, without engaging the parliamentary group, that the questions are also for the Constitutional Court. "CC is familiar with the graphological expertise which points to, to say the least, reasonable suspicions of constitutive acts. The question here is for the CC - why did the Sofia City Prosecution Office have to request the materials today, since the results of the expertise have been known for a long time. These positions that have been expressed since last night have compromised this institution as well. Where they were before, they are actually leading the process, CC is leading," Valchev said.

Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - MRF reacted in a statement: "Today we witnessed an unprecedented act of institutional sabotage, which shows one thing - if there is still a state, it is in complete collapse. This is not just bureaucratic chaos - this is a deliberate scheme to subordinate the democratic process to the will of Delyan Peevski. But today's scandal surpasses anything we have seen in Bulgaria's 35-year democratic history. Never before has a figure dared to so openly block the work of key institutions just because it suited him. What we are seeing is not just a political crisis - it is an open war against democracy."

There Is Such a People Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov said: "Let's hear CEC and Information Services first. Apparently there's a problem with the last election. It is good to distinguish between what is happening and the reason it is happening now. The fault lies with the Electoral Code."

Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) Floor Leader Radostin Vasilev described what is happening as an "outrage". "In my opinion, we have not had such a scandal since the democratic changes. CEC, Information Services, CC and the prosecution service are creating an unprecedented mess," he said. "I said it yesterday too - annul the elections and hold fresh elections. Not that anything huge can change under these manipulations of GERB and Peevski's MRF - New Beginning, but that is the hope of MECh," Vasilev added.