Bulgaria’s Interior Minister reported of Vote Buying from One Political Party to Another

"Vote-buying in the elections was reduced by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to levels that did not substantially affect the results". This was stated by Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev before the National Radio. He summarized that 151 court proceedings were instituted for violation of the electoral legislation.

"They were worked together with the prosecutor's office. They are not urgent. A small percentage of the proceedings can be terminated because they are coordinated. I expect a large part of them to end with convictions. After all, there are those regarding the buying of votes that concern previous elections. It is clearly stated in the reasons of the court panels who exactly," Demerdzhiev pointed out.

He highlighted signals that one political party was buying votes in favor of another.

"There is an obvious desire to get 'convenient crutches' into the parliament. There was one a while ago, which no longer exists. Obviously, this desire motivates some of the parties to resort to this kind of support outside the law for other potential partners. I do not mean 'There Is Such People,'" said Demerdzhiev.

He commented that in the parliamentary elections on April 2, a corporate vote was noticed, which moved along the line of the law and a vote created by dependence over the years. Demerdzhiev explained that there are regions in which those appointed by a given political party have created their own entourage, who thank them for their appointment at the elections.

One of the leaders of "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" Asen Vassilev came out with a similar thesis on Nova TV on Sunday and stated that GERB mobilizes votes from people who are in the state and municipal apparatus, and...