'No Ground' to Think Bulgaria Can Get Enough Voting Machines

There are not enough indications Bulgaria could obtain the necessary number of voting machines in time for the early election in March, the government says.

The cabinet's spokesperson Irina Belcheva has said a study carried out by the government shows it is "almost impossible" to hold talks on acquiring machines on such a short notice.

The study "was conducted before the Central Election Commission launched a public procurement procedure [to obtain voting machines] as the government was willing to help in this tough task," Focus News Agency quotes Belcheva as saying.

Bulgaria needs 12 500 voting machines, or one for each polling station, for the early election on March 26.

At the end of January, the election commission announced only 500 machines were in stock. Under the current electoral code, voters must be able to choose between casting a paper ballot and using machines to vote.