site.bta345 Election Violation Reports, and Counting: Police Crack Down on Vote Buying Across Bulgaria

The Ministry of Interior has received 345 tip-offs for election law violations by 10:00 on Tuesday, the Director of the Press and Strategic Communications Directorate at the Ministry of Interior, Mitko Dimitrov said during a briefing at the Ministry's headquarters on Tuesday.

To date, the Ministry has carried out 197 specialized operations, initiated 76 pre-trial proceedings, and detained 41 individuals in connection with the reported violations.

Police operations targeting vote buying and selling are currently underway in Ruse (on the Danube), Sliven (Southeastern Bulgaria), and Pazardzhik (Southern Bulgaria). In Sliven, four individuals have been detained, and four pre-trial proceedings have been initiated on suspicion of vote trading.

Authorities have confiscated notebooks from businesses containing names and monetary amounts, and an investigation is ongoing into a report of vote buying in a nearby village, where offers of BGN 60 were allegedly made, Dimitrov said.

In Ruse, authorities are looking into eight alerts of election law violations and breaches of citizens' political rights. Pre-trial proceedings have been launched in two of these cases.

In Pazardzhik, inspections are being carried out at pawnshops, private homes, public spaces, businesses, and bars in response to reports of vote buying.

Additionally, at the request of the Central Election Commission, the gendarmerie and the Directorate for Special Counter-Terrorism Operations are ensuring the physical security of locations where voting machines are stored. Teams are also escorting vehicles transporting election materials to polling stations across the country.

Dimitrov also noted that the Ministry of Interior has issued 166 certificates to citizens to replace lost or missing identity cards, allowing them to vote on Sunday.

He said efforts have been made to ensure smooth operations at border checkpoints.

Earlier in October, the Ministry of Interior conducted specialized operations against vote buying nationwide, including in Montana (Northwestern Bulgaria), Razgrad (Northeastern Bulgaria), Stara Zagora (Southeastern Bulgaria), and Sofia region.