No Chance for a Government? Calls for Full Election Annulment Grow as Trust in Bulgarian Democracy Wanes

Political scientist Ralitsa Simeonova has expressed concern that the chances of forming a government in Bulgaria diminish with each passing day. In an interview with BNR, she described the electoral process as deeply flawed and emphasized that discussions about forming a government should not be a priority.

Simeonova pointed to evidence of manipulated votes, citing videos that show members of the Sectional Election Commissions (SECs) altering votes, causing ballots intended for one political entity to be transferred to another. She underscored the need for accountability from various institutions involved in the election process, advocating for a complete annulment of the elections. According to her, partial annulments would only serve to sidestep the underlying issues. She noted that the Constitution designates specific entities, including the Council of Ministers, the president, a fifth of the members of parliament, the Supreme Court, and the chief prosecutor, as eligible to petition the Constitutional Court to annul the elections.

Simeonova characterized the current situation as a multifaceted crisis, highlighting that the integrity of the election process—a fundamental aspect of democracy—has been compromised. She commented on President Rumen Radev's appeal, stating that while words are one thing, action is necessary. She urged him to utilize his authority to challenge the election results in the Constitutional Court if he possesses pertinent information.

She firmly stated that "bought and controlled democracy is not true democracy" and called for urgent measures by responsible institutions to restore public trust by completely invalidating the elections.

Ivelin Mihailov, the ideologue of the "Greatness" party, echoed similar sentiments, arguing against the idea of a partial annulment of the October 27 elections. In a video message shared on social media, he insisted that the elections should be fully annulled and emphasized that all parties should share in the consequences. Mihailov highlighted that any proposal for partial recognition would undermine the broader quest for justice and public faith in the electoral system.

He criticized proposals from the parties "There Is Such a People" (TISP) and "Revival," which suggested partial recounts of the votes, accusing them of colluding with GERB and Delyan Peevski's DPS-New Beginning. Mihailov stressed that manipulation could not occur without the involvement of these parties in the SECs.

In a related context, Caretaker Ministers Rosen Karadimov and Valentin Mundrov have issued strong critiques of Ciela Norma, the company responsible for providing voting machines in Bulgaria. Minister Karadimov, overseeing the election organization, and Minister Mundrov, in charge of electronic governance, condemned Ciela Norma for its arbitrary actions concerning the storage and handling of the voting devices.

Minister Mundrov revealed that the software installation for the machines began late and was conducted at night, complicating the verification process by state experts. He noted that the potential presence of two uncontrolled entities in the storage facility raised significant concerns about the integrity of the voting process. Despite facing challenges in conducting random checks across all district election commissions, officials succeeded in verifying more than a third of the voting machines to ensure the installed software was legitimate.