site.btaDispute over Old Election Papers in Sofia, Interior Ministry Guards Stationery

Three days before the elections for a national and European Parliament in Bulgaria on June 9, a row flared up over the unused rolls of paper for the voting machines in Sofia.

First, the Central Election Commission instructed the local authorities to destroy all remaining unused paper rolls from previous elections. Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that the paper rolls are kept in a sealed-off space together with stationary form the local elections in November 2023, which are evidence in an ongoing court case initiated by a failed Sofia mayoral candidate who contested the elections. He further argued that going into the space where all these are kept, would likely be considered tampering with evidence, and said that he had asked the court for instructions on how to proceed. Later on Friday, it transpired that the court had ordered leaving the unused voting machine paper where it is and not destroying it as ordered by the election administration.

Finally, the Interior Ministry said it will take care of guarding the premises where the old paper rolls are kept.

There Is Such a People used the case to accuse the Sofia Mayor and his Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria coalition of putting to question the fairness of elections.