
Bulgarian Constitutional Court Moves Forward with Election Legitimacy Case
Bulgaria's Constitutional Court has allowed petitioners to review evidence related to the legitimacy of the October 27, 2024, parliamentary elections between February 19 and 21, 2025. They have until February 25 to submit observations, according to a ruling issued on February 17, CE Report quotes BTA
The case stems from five petitions challenging the election results, admitted by the Court on November 26, 2024. Among them, There Is Such a People requested a recount in 52 voting sections, while the Velichie Party called for a full or partial annulment of the elections. Continue the Change also sought a recount. Additional petitions were backed by MPs from Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, Democracy for Rights and Freedoms, and BSP-United Left.
The Court merged the cases and ordered a recount of ballots in 1,777 voting sections. Experts were tasked with verifying the accuracy of paper and machine-voting records, including the validity of ballots and discrepancies in tally sheets. The expert review was due by January 10, 2025.
On February 17, the Court expanded the evidence base, adding ten reports from five constituencies and 13 tabulated reports from seven constituencies. A ruling on the case's merits is expected soon.