Political Parties in Bulgaria Demand Election Recount as CEC Probes Video Surveillance Failures

In 60 out of 11,626 polling stations mandated to have video surveillance, no recordings were made, according to data provided by the Information Service to the Central Election Commission (CEC). In response, the CEC has instructed district election commissions to gather information from these stations and to draft administrative violation reports.

CEC Chairperson Kamelia Neikova highlighted that it was the responsibility of the polling station chairpersons to activate the video devices. She explained that even if an internet connection issue had prevented live streaming, recordings could still have been saved for later publication. Neikova stated that these devices likely weren’t activated at all, stressing the need for further investigation by the regional commissions to confirm any administrative violations.

CEC spokesperson Rositsa Mateva mentioned discrepancies in the data, suggesting that additional clarification from the Information Service was necessary. The current data leaves uncertainty about the recordings for 10 polling stations. Mateva requested more specific information on these cases.

Meanwhile, the “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” (WCC-DB) coalition expressed support for appealing to the Constitutional Court to partially annul the election. Following a leadership meeting, sources confirmed that the coalition will request recounts in sections where the turnout appeared abnormally high, surveillance cameras were improperly installed or turned off, or invalid ballots exceeded 1%. This request for recounts could affect up to two-thirds of all polling stations. A further meeting with legal experts was scheduled later in the day.

Other parties, including “There Is Such a People” (TISP), “Morality Unity Honor” (MECH), and “Greatness” (Velichie), which narrowly missed the 4% parliamentary threshold by 21 votes, also demanded a partial annulment. These groups, alongside WCC-DB, have enough support to push the request to the Constitutional Court, needing 48 MP signatures and currently holding 68.

In addition, the “Revival” party called for a full recount of all votes, while the “Alliance for Rights and Freedoms” (APS) voiced support for the WCC-DB’s declaration. In a statement, APS leaders backed creating a “sanitary cordon” around Delyan Peevski, alleging that transparency and the rule of law are at risk due to certain oligarchic influences. APS argued for a temporary commission to investigate Peevski's role in controversies like the Corporate Commercial Bank collapse, the “Eight Dwarfs” scandal, and his alleged impact on the judiciary.

APS leaders urged immediate action to elect an Ombudsman and auditors for the Audit Chamber, saying that these steps are critical for safeguarding future elections. They emphasized their commitment to ensuring democratic processes, condemning recent violations as deeply harmful to public trust. The coalition called on President Rumen Radev to refer these issues to the Constitutional Court, asserting that urgent measures are needed to restore the integrity of the democratic process.

The CEC, for its part, decided to impose fines on the chairs of polling stations that failed to activate the surveillance devices. The penalty, according to the Election Code, ranges from BGN 20 to BGN 200 per violation. The decision affects 60 polling stations identified in the Information Service’s report, which noted not only a lack of live broadcasts but also missing surveillance footage. Neikova confirmed that the CEC had clarified in its guidelines that the polling station chairperson was responsible for initiating the recording.

This issue has stirred frustration among political groups. Alleged errors in vote tallying have been highlighted in recent reports, including cases where votes for “Greatness” were mistakenly recorded. CEC oversight of these discrepancies has drawn criticism, particularly after video evidence showed apparent tampering in some stations, prompting further demands for investigation. Despite clear breaches, the CEC has so far avoided issuing penalties for such incidents, maintaining its focus on administrative violations tied to video surveillance.