Head of Central Election Commission: Decision on the Number of Polling Stations Abroad is a Political One

“The decision taken by the Parliament, in my view, is a political one. As dull as it may sound, the Central Election Commission (CEC), as a law-enforcing body, must implement the law as it stands,” said Kameliya Neykova, Chair of the Central Election Commision (CEC), during a live interview on Denyat Zapochnva (“The Day Begins”) on February 6.

She noted that this issue is not new. “From 2014 to 2024, over a ten-year period, the Electoral Code was amended around 30 times, often immediately before elections. One of these changes concerned polling stations abroad,” Neykova explained.

"The country should be that of the voters - everyone should be able to vote. In 2017, there were 35 polling stations for parliamentary elections. Only three countries were affected by the number of polling stations outside the EU. Looking at the bigger picture, among the 57–58 countries where polling stations were set up in the last parliamentary elections, only eight had more than 20 polling stations,” she added.

Neykova predicted that there could be some crowding at certain polling stations, though she added: “If voter turnout is similar to the last elections, it is unlikely that there will be significant pressure.”

She emphasised that the CEC’s actions were not responsible for the reduced number of overseas polling stations.

“There are rules for elections, and there is a legal framework, although improvements are still needed. The CEC made numerous proposals, which were published on the websites of both the National Assembly and the CEC, but none were adopted,” Neykova said.

Kameliya Neykova said that the CEC had been criticised in a prosecutor’s ruling for not referring reports of electoral violations, on the grounds that they were “not of high public danger” to warrant activating prosecutorial involvement.

“I believe that all state bodies involved in the electoral process must operate as a well-oiled machine. Responsibility cannot simply be passed around,” she said.

Reflecting on the latest elections, Neykova stressed that the CEC had made every effort to organise the process to prevent violations. “The rules exist, but they are sometimes breached,” she concluded.