Nearly 35% Voter Turnout Reported by CEC at 16.00

Voter turnout stood at 34.63% as of 16:00, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said at a briefing on April 19. The highest turnout was recorded in Sofia’s 23rd constituency at 43.38%, while the lowest was in Kardzhali (Southern Bulgaria) at 23.34%. In the previous election on 27 October, turnout at the same time was 26.25%.

Voting is proceeding calmly both in Bulgaria and abroad, CEC spokesperson Rositsa Mateva said.

A total of 182 complaints and reports have been submitted so far, more than half of which fall under the jurisdiction of regional election commissions.

“Many of them are related to issues with machine voting, including reports of machines stopping, as well as queues at polling stations. There are also reports of campaigning on social media. However, the CEC does not consider complaints related to violations on social media, so these are not reviewed,” Mateva noted.

Machine voting has been suspended on 75 machines across the country. The highest numbers are in Burgas (5), Pleven (5), Sofia (6), Yambol (5) and Haskovo (6). A total of 9,354 machines are in use, Mateva added.

Voting abroad is proceeding normally. There has been only one report concerning a polling station, where a misunderstanding arose between members of the polling station election commission.

“However, these are responsible individuals and they will find a way to carry out their work together,” Mateva said.

Voting has already concluded in Australia at six polling stations, with protocols submitted to the CEC. Voting has also ended in New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and Tokyo.