Voter Turnout Stands at 5.8% as at 12:00; It Was Highest in Vidin

Voter turnout at 12 noon stands at 5.8%, with 385,092 people having cast their ballots. The highest turnout was recorded in Vidin district, at 8.12%, while the lowest was in Kardzhali, at 2.56%.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has received 13 reports, four of which concern violations of the voting process. Seven people refused to vote using a machine and requested paper ballots instead. Twenty voting machines across the country have experienced various technical problems, and the polling stations concerned have switched to paper voting.

The other reports concern discrepancies in the electoral register, where the listed polling station number did not match the correct one. The CEC also reported three complaints related to election campaigning. The remaining reports concern machine voting.

As at 12 noon, 20 voting machines across the country had experienced various technical problems, and voting at the affected polling stations had switched to paper ballots. Four of these machines failed to start on election day due to problems with the printer, the machine’s card reader or its power supply. The faulty machines were in Burgas, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pleven, Ruse and Silistra districts. The largest number was recorded in Sofia’s 23rd electoral constituency, where five machines were affected; elsewhere, there was one affected machine per location.