Twenty-seven presidential tickets will run in the upcoming presidential election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) says. That's four more pairs than in the 2021 vote. CEC spokeswoman Stoyanka Balova said all preparations are on track and following the set timetable.

"Preparations for the election are moving ahead on schedule. This time, 27 tickets are running for president and vice-president, compared with 23 in the 2021 election," Stoyanka Balova said.

As part of the election prep work, the CEC today wrapped up a public procurement process for the logistics and technical support of machine voting. Balova said the commission will now sign a contract with Sela Norma, the only company that bid for the job.

"The contract covers a full check-up and repair of 12,800 voting machines. Each machine will go through a complete technical inspection, servicing and repairs where needed. This will let us test the machines and all their main parts in detail, and catch and fix any technical faults early," the CEC spokeswoman explained.

About 3,000 technicians, both in Bulgaria and abroad, will work on getting the voting machines ready. A special support center will also run during the election itself, helping to sort out any technical problems and giving advice to CEC members and technicians.