Vigenin: The most important thing for the forthcoming elections is to guarantee an honest and transparent vote

„The way of voting at the forthcoming elections must guarantee trust in the electoral process and must not cast doubt on the legitimacy of the results.“ This was stated by the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin in an interview for the television channel Nova News, stressing that introducing new technologies at the last moment, such as scanning machines, carries serious risks for the normal conduct of the elections.

In his words, such substantial changes to electoral legislation should not be made at the last moment, since the forthcoming elections are very soon, and the new technologies have not been tested. The BSP’s position is that if the introduction of scanning machines is adopted, it should apply only from the following elections, after a sufficient period of testing, by analogy with the existing voting machines.

Machine voting and control counts

The BSP supports machine voting combined with a control count of the receipts. In Vigenin’s view the machine should produce a protocol, but the receipts should be counted in parallel. On paper ballots, he stressed that they should not be removed entirely: „Every citizen must have the possibility to vote in the way they prefer, but the leading concern remains guaranteeing an honest and transparent vote, so that the problems of the last elections are not repeated. The main focus at present  must be on conducting the current elections honestly, rather than on hasty technological changes.“

The anti-corruption commission

On the anti-corruption commission, Vigenin recalled that from the very beginning the BSP has insisted on a thorough analysis of its effectiveness and its powers. „Such an analysis, however, was not carried out. The commission is evidently not achieving the goals for which it was created. But if it is to be closed, the effectiveness of the other elements in the fight against corruption, including the work of the prosecution service, must be carefully guaranteed“, he commented. In his view, creating a structure with investigative functions resembling a second prosecution service has not produced the expected results and has undermined citizens’ trust in the system.

The congress and the future of the BSP

On the internal party processes in the BSP, Vigenin stressed that the decision to convene a congress and to end the current chair’s term was taken by a convincing majority in the National Council. In his words the party must take an objective stock of the period since the previous congress.

Kristian Vigenin gave a positive assessment of the work of the BSP’s representatives in the executive, including the ministers, deputy ministers and the deputy prime minister, but stressed that participation in the joint government has done serious moral and electoral damage to the party. „The BSP was forced to support decisions that were at odds with the expectations of its voters“, he pointed out. Vigenin said the BSP needs change, a new image, a new strategy, new faces and a new policy, in order to avoid serious electoral losses. He stressed that there are no internal wars or anti-campaigns in the party, but a responsible search for a direction and for solutions for the future.

On future governing configurations, Kristian Vigenin was categorical that the current formula of joint government is harmful for the BSP and should not be repeated in the next parliament. „The initial conditions for the BSP’s participation in government were not observed, namely that it would not depend on MRF, New Beginning and on Delyan Peevski“, he commented.

On the topic of possible political involvement by President Rumen Radev, Vigenin pointed out that if he enters the political arena, the BSP could be a natural partner, since there are many points of contact between his positions and the party’s traditional policies in both domestic and foreign policy.

„Despite the difficult situation, the BSP has a perspective. Up to the congress and at the congress itself we will take the necessary decisions so that the party starts moving upwards again, without internal scandals and with an eye on the future“, Kristian Vigenin concluded.