14 machines in four districts counted fewer votes in the first round of the presidential elections. The discrepancy is between the data in the machine protocols, the number of control receipts and the signatures of the voters on the lists, the Bulgarian National Radio reported.
The problem was identified by the regional election commissions in Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Vidin and Haskovo. Three machines were affected in Veliko Tarnovo, and one in Gabrovo and Vidin. In Haskovo region, a discrepancy was reported in nine machines in the municipalities of Haskovo, Stambolovo, Svilengrad and Harmanli.
In all cases, the number of control receipts is equal to the number of signatures on the voter lists, but is greater than the number of votes recorded in the machine protocol. However, with decisions of the regional election commissions, the lower values recorded in the machines' memory were reported as the final result.
CEC decision awaited
The Chairman of the REC in Veliko Tarnovo Hristo Denev stated that it is possible that the problem occurred in the last part of the voting – when printing and saving the vote.
„Most likely, while the voter was marking, the machine was working and was in working order, in the last part of voting, printing and saving the vote something happened to make this vote disappear“, said Hristo Denev.Member of the REC in Veliko Tarnovo Yoana Ivanova defined the case as a possible software problem, but emphasized that election experts cannot explain the reason for the discrepancy.
„We are talking about some kind of lost vote syndrome, perhaps, which we, as election experts participating in the election commissions, cannot explain where it comes from. For me, it's more of a software problem“, said Yoana Ivanova.The REC in Veliko Tarnovo has filed a report with the Central Election Commission upon the delivery of the ballot papers and flash drives from the machines. According to Hristo Denev, there is no explanation for the discrepancy so far and the CEC is expected to rule on the decisions of the regional commissions and the method of counting the machine vote.
Sources: bnrnews.bg