site.btaInterior Minister: Every Alert of Vote Buying and Selling Is "Immediately Investigated"

At a Wednesday news briefing in the Council of Ministers building, caretaker Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov said that "every officially submitted alert related to vote buying and selling for the October 27 parliamentary elections" will be immediately investigated. 

An objective and comprehensive investigation will be carried out and reported to the competent prosecutor's office on all the facts and circumstances set out in an alert, the Minister explained. Ilkov assured that "active efforts are underway to acquire advance information about people and entities involved in buying and selling votes with the intention to distort the citizens’ vote". It is also a very important task to enable and ensure the right to vote of every Bulgarian citizen who has decided to vote on election day, Ilkov said.

The Ministry's Bulgarian Identity Documents offices will operate, so that, if necessary, a voting certificate can be issued, the Minister added.

In Ilkov’s words, the Interior Ministry and its officers have "one of the main responsibilities for the upcoming elections, they have to ensure good public order before, during and after the election process". "The Ministry must ensure fair and transparent elections and prevent distortion of the Bulgarian citizens' vote," he said..

The Minister said that a transport plan has been prepared, according to which all the election stationery, the voting machines and their provision by the Ministry’s officers will be transported from Sofia to each polling station in the country. Ilkov also noted that the Ministry has taken actions to ensure fire and traffic safety for all polling stations.