Parliament elected Alexander Andreev as chairperson of the Central Election Commission

Bulgaria’s Parliament on October 9 elected Alexander Andreev as chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC). He was elected with the votes of the MPs from GERB, United Patriots and Volya party. The opposition socialist party, BSP, voted against. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) left the hall during the voting.

Andreev was the only candidate for the post. He has been a member of the CEC since 2007 and has been its spokesman until now.

Alexander Andreev: The CEC is a collective body that organizes and conducts elections. In this connection, I could not give an answer to these questions, which were asked here from this rostrum, because they are decisions of the CEC collective body. What the CEC will do is implement the law as adopted by the legislator.

Kornelia Ninova, leader of "BSP for Bulgaria": He is hiding behind the collective responsibility of the body. But the CEC as a body has claims against us MPs. Yesterday he said in tje legal affairs committee. "This law does not work, it is not worth it. They have to change it again." Come and say what you want to change. Because then you will transfer the responsibility to the Parliament and say the MPs are to blame that the law is bad. The Council of Ministers transfers the responsibility to the CEC, the CEC to the Parliament, the Parliament to the CEC, and what happens in the end could be rigged elections.

Mustafa Karadayi, MRF: In my statement, I said that we will vote for the CEC chairman proposed by GEBR, because the responsibility to nominate a CEC chairman lies with GERB. However, based on the answers from Mr. Andreev that we heard, the way and the attitude that he presented to us changed our opinion.