The Central Election Commission (CEC) has allocated over 10 million euros for the maintenance and repair of 12,800 voting machines, which must be fully operational by October 15. The contract with the selected contractor is expected to be signed by the end of next week.

The technical condition of the equipment is critical, as the voting machines have not undergone maintenance or repair for more than six years. Following the announcement of the public tender, only one bid was received, submitted by the firm that traditionally handles their maintenance. CEC spokesperson Stoyanka Balova-Tsvetkova shared: "We have about 2,000 machines that are completely non-functional. Aside from parts—primarily printers and displays, but also wheels, cases, and machine covers—we absolutely want to have all 12,800 machines ready by election day so the state can utilize them and include them in the electoral process."

A total of 24 initiative committees and 8 political parties are participating in the race for the positions of President and Vice President. The deadline for their registration expired yesterday at 5:00 PM. For comparison, during the 2021 elections, documents were submitted by 12 parties, 12 initiative committees, and 5 coalitions. The registration process for candidate lists continues until September 22, with 4 such lists already registered so far. On September 23, the CEC will determine the ballot numbering via a draw, according to Stoyanka Balova-Tsvetkova: "We already have 4 registered candidate lists, and on September 23, the CEC will determine the numbers on the ballots through a draw."

According to preliminary data from GRAO, just over 6,645,000 citizens are eligible to vote at their permanent address. Final figures for this indicator will be announced in early October. In parallel, over 6,700 applications for voting from abroad have already been submitted and confirmed. Traditionally, the highest number of requests come from the USA, Germany, and Turkey, as well as from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

The CEC and the Council for Media Ethics (CME) have reached an agreement regarding the conduct of the pre-election campaign, aiming to ensure objectivity, equality, and balance. Monitoring will focus on adherence to core principles and professional standards. CME Chairperson Gabriela Naplatanova emphasized: "There must be no hate speech or incitement to violence, and there must be a provision for the right of reply and the protection of the reputations of the candidates participating in the pre-election race. It is also important that paid campaign content be clearly identified."

The preparation of voting machines is crucial for voters in Burgas and the entire region during the upcoming elections.

Regarding the imposition of penalties, CEC Chairperson Georgi Horozov noted: "The sanctions, as defined by law, allow the CITK to align the size of the fine with the severity of the violation, and of course, we rely on the CME regarding these sanctions." Two organizations—one Bulgarian and one international—have registered to monitor the electoral process.