Bulgaria turnout just 16.04% by 4 p.m., well below 2021 presidential vote
Turnout in Bulgaria's presidential election reached 16.04% by 4 p.m. local time, the election commission said, compared with 24.12% at the same point in 2021. Kardzhali had the lowest rate.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Turnout in Bulgaria's presidential election remained very low on Sunday. By 4 p.m. local time (1400 GMT), 16.04% of the roughly 6.59 million eligible voters had cast ballots, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said. At the same point in the 2021 presidential election, turnout stood at 24.12%, according to the state news agency BTA. At noon, the CEC had reported 5.8%, or 385,092 voters.
Turnout was highest in Sofia's 23rd constituency at 25.09% and lowest in the Kardzhali region at 6.77%. The CEC has so far received 50 reports and four complaints, Fakti.bg reported. By midday, 20 voting machines had broken down nationwide, and the affected polling stations switched to paper ballots.
The Interior Ministry said it had registered a total of 217 reports of election law violations by 3 p.m., 165 of them concerning alleged vote buying. Police issued 1,277 warning protocols. Polling stations close at 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT). A first-round win requires more than half of the valid votes and turnout above 50%; otherwise a runoff will be held on Nov. 1.