site.bta79 Candidates for National, European Parliament Found to Have Worked for Communist-Era Security Services

Seventy-nine candidates for the national and the European Parliament were found to have worked for the communist-era security services and the military intelligence, a special commission checking for such affiliation said Tuesday. 

The commission checked 147 candidates in the EP elections, and named nine which it found to have been affiliated with the communist security services and the military intelligence. Another 269 candidates were not subject to vetting.

Of the nine, three are candidates of We the Citizens Coalition; two each are of BSP for Bulgaria and of the Left! Coalition; and one each of Velichie [Grandeur] Party and Bulgarian Voice.

The commission also vetted 2,326 candidates for the national elections. 3,820 candidates were not subject to vetting. Evidence of connection with the communist security services and military intelligence was found for seventy candidates.

Among them were ten of the Left! Coalition; eight of  Bulgarian Voice Party; six of the Rose Coalition; five each of BSP for Bulgaria, VMRO-Bulgarian National Movement Party, Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) Party, We the Citizens Coalition; four each of GERB-UDF and Bulgarian Solidarity; three each of Neutral Bulgaria Coalition and Centre Coalition; two each of Vazrazhdane, Party for Great Bulgaria and Edinenie [Unity] Party; and one each of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the Party of the Greens, the Bulgarian National Alliance, the Bulgarian Union for Direct Democracy, Bulgarian Rise and Velichie [Grandeur] Party.