WCC Leader Asen Vasilev: Introducing Counting Devices Would Guarantee 100% Paper Voting

“This is a clear sign from the parties currently in power – GERB, New Beginning, BSP and There Is Such a People – that they want to continue committing electoral fraud.” This is how Asen Vasilev, leader of We Continue the Change, commented on the rejection of the bill on machine voting with control counting of machine receipts at an extraordinary meeting of parliament’s Legal Committee.

According to him, all established violations in the most recent parliamentary elections were linked to paper ballots.

“All of them were related to paper voting. There was not a single case of a problem with machine voting,” Vasilev said.

He stressed that introducing scanning devices within two months was technically impossible and would pose serious risks to the integrity of the electoral process.

“If the counting devices are introduced, as GERB and DPS want, this will guarantee 100% paper voting in the elections, because there is no way these machines can be put into operation within two months,” Vasilev added.

He also criticised the proposals put forward by GERB and DPS, saying they remove key safeguards for fair elections.

“There will be no second printout. The verification by the Bulgarian Institute of Metrology will be removed. The checks by party-appointed experts will be removed. The certification process will be removed,” Vasilev said.

Vasilev stated that his party would rely primarily on citizens to safeguard the elections.

“Our action plan is based on Bulgarian citizens. We have already recruited half of the observers we need in every polling station,” he said, adding that trust in machine voting was confirmed by the results of previous elections.

On the possibility of future coalitions, Vasilev was categorical:

“There will be no ‘stitched-together’ coalition.”