Nadezhda Yordanova, the former Minister of Justice: The report from the State Agency for National Security (SANS) is a three-page literary narrative. The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on the case today, by 8 p.m.
The SANS report presented is a concise literary narrative spanning three pages. The document fails to certify any facts and circumstances that are covered by the assumptions of the Electoral Code. This lack of certification could potentially result in the invalidation of the machine vote.
According to a BGNES reporter, Nadezhda Yordanova, the MP from "We Continue The Change - Democratic Bulgaria," made this statement after the session of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) regarding the case against the decision of the Central Election Commission (CEC) to cancel the voting machines.
Yordanova stated that evidence has been presented, establishing the timeline of when the relevant authentication machines and software were introduced, and confirming that the Ministry of e-Government issued its act within the designated timeframe.
The People's Representative has emphasized their commitment to ensuring the legal protection and guaranteeing the rights of all Bulgarian citizens during the electoral process. Yordanova emphasizes the importance of upholding the rule of law through the appropriate procedures, rather than relying on political scandals or other ongoing events.
Her main concern regarding the statements made by the CEC in the courtroom was that the reasons cited for the issued act were purely political and relied on conversations, documents, and statements that were not relevant under The Electoral Code.
Vasil Pandov, a Member of Parliament from the "We Continue The Change - Democratic Bulgaria" party and a professor of law at Sofia University, made a comment stating that the testimony given by Rositsa Mateva in the courtroom confirmed that the reasons for discontinuing the use of machine voting are not supported by their actions. The act clearly states that there is no decision from the Ministry of e-Government, which serves as the sole and fundamental premise. He added that the decision does not mention anything about the minister's signature.
Pandov emphasized that the CEC is currently attempting to amend its act due to its incorrect issuance, lack of relevant reasons, and violation of the Constitutional Court's longstanding practice. According to the Constitutional Court, electoral rights are explicitly regulated at the constitutional level, which means that the Electoral Code cannot be applied in a broad manner. According to the MP, the CEC's guidelines for restricting machine voting were unclear. The CEC referred to a provision in the Electoral Code that contains approximately 30 different requirements, but it did not specify which of these requirements should be applied, as there is no single provision that addresses this issue.
He finds it deeply concerning that the CEC has chosen to restrict the voting rights of Bulgarian citizens based on convenience rather than legality, without any basis in the Electoral Code. Pandov stated that the only condition for the Central Election Commission (CEC) to mandate voting exclusively with paper ballots is if the Ministry of e-Government determines that the machines are not suitable.
Yordanova firmly believes that the CEC does not have the authority to rewrite the Electoral Code. Additionally, she argues that there is no scenario in which the CEC can properly evaluate the feasibility of implementing machine voting.
The CEC's actions are unacceptable and illegal. If they were to be accepted as possible, it would mean disregarding the constitutional right of every citizen to choose.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on the case by 8 p.m. today. /BGNES
