“The chairman of the CEC (Central Election Commission) is lying in favor of GERB for the manual counting of the control receipts from the machines. First of all, Andreev said that leading in the machine voting are the receipts, which will be counted and will determine the election result. Yes, this may have been the wish of GERB and the United Patriots with the change in the Electoral Code in 2020, but they did not write it and did not vote for it.”
This was commented by the chairperson of the Civic Platform „Stand Up.BG“ Maya Manolova in her Facebook post late last night on the occasion of the CEC chairperson’s participation in the show „Face to Face“.
“What will Andreev say about Art. 270 of the Electoral Code, which reads “Actions before opening the ballot box“ and in para. 2 stipulates that before the machine voting is counted and the ballots are counted, “the sections with the ballot numbers and the control receipts from the machine voting shall be packed separately and sealed with paper tape. The paper tape shall be stamped by the Commission and signed by the members of the Commission. How will the receipts be counted by Andreev and his CEC, since they have already been packed and removed from the counting table.”
This is what Manolova asks and emphasizes that nowhere does the legislator say that these sections are counted, as is the case for unused and wrong ballots. She also is categorical:
“Not to mention that it is pointless for them to be counted, since they are no longer included in the election protocol. But, as the knee changes, so it happens. And the norms of the Electoral Code should be interpreted in their logical sequence and interconnectedness, and not each norm should be interpreted separately and outside the integrity of the normative act.”
“It is no coincidence that the Electoral Code introduces high protection for the paper ballot and the machine ballot. The receipt is not equivalent to a paper bulletin and does not bear its details and is therefore called a „control receipt“ and is not introduced to be used for political orders. Control, Andreev, as it is used only for control in the event of a dispute of the result and this is stated in the documents of international organizations, including the Venice Commission, which you should read more. Therefore, in Art. 281, para. 3 of the Electoral Code, the legislator has accepted that „the data from the machine voting are added separately to the data from the protocol of the sectional election commission“ and „Andreev, the data from the control receipts are not added“, explains Manolova.
She added that “with the changes from 2020, the legislator desirably says that the confirmed votes from the machine voting SHOULD be equal to the number of control receipts printed by the system. But if they are not, the legislator is silent, and Andreev interprets as he wants.
According to her”, secondly, Andreev brazenly lies about the PFIA report on bonuses and rents for housing of CEC members. No one claims that by distributing money and paying rents, they have “questioned the election process”. However, the PFIA report of March 20, 2020, which is in fact public, made definite statements about “violations of the law and that the CEC decisions on the expenses incurred are not legal grounds for their implementation”, she said.
„It has been established that the costs for rent and intermediary services related to the rental of the dwellings amount to a total of BGN 132,485. Additional remunerations with a total value of BGN 434,000 have been distributed and data on violations of Art. 58 of the Anti-Corruption and Confiscation of Illegally Acquired Property Act“, added the chairman of “Stand Up.BG”. Manolova wrote:
„But apart from lying, what else can be expected from a person who can become a member and chairman of the CEC proposed by GERB in another term from a member of the CEC proposed by the BSP in one term and what trust can the voters of such a CEC.”
Izpravi se.BG reminds that in an open letter to the CEC on January 11, Manolova called on the CEC members to return the amounts taken for bonuses to 20 members – BGN 434 thousand and rents to the homes of four for BGN 132 thousand. for 2019, as there is no legal basis for their receipt
