Atanas Ilkov

Following Bulgaria's entry into the Schengen area's land borders, border checkpoints will remain operational, but movement across borders will become more streamlined, according to the Ministry of Interior.

Next year, approximately 600 speed cameras will be operational across Bulgaria, according to Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Atanas Ilkov. Speaking in Plovdiv during a memorial service for road traffic victims at St.

Hungary's Interior Minister, Sandor Pinter, announced that Romania and Bulgaria have a chance to fully join the Schengen area starting in January 2025. His statement came after an informal meeting in Budapest involving the interior ministers of Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, and Austria.

The premiere of a John Malkovich-directed play in Sofia, Bulgaria, was marred by protests from nationalists, who surrounded the National Theater and prevented ticketed spectators from entering. Several hundred protesters gathered outside, claiming the play "Arms and the Man," based on Bernard Shaw's work, was offensive to Bulgarians.

In 26% of the reported cases of vote-buying, individuals affiliated with political parties have been implicated, according to Atanas Ilkov, the Acting Interior Minister of Bulgaria. Ilkov addressed the media during a briefing regarding the Ministry of Interior's report on the recent elections.

Bulgaria's caretaker government will not approach the Constitutional Court to annul the October 27 election results, confirmed Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev.

On October 27, 2024, Bulgarians will head to the polls for early parliamentary elections. These are the seventh such elections in the last three years and the second to take place in 2024, following the June 9 vote, which coincided with the European Parliament elections.

By 2:00 p.m., the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs had received 259 reports of vote-buying, with nine of those reported within the last hour. Authorities have launched 70 pre-trial proceedings and detained 36 individuals, as announced by Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Atanas Ilkov, during a briefing.

Sixty police operations targeting vote-buying in Bulgaria have been carried out to date, according to Acting Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov.

Bulgaria's Ministry of the Interior has reported receiving nearly 140 reports of election-related violations, with 14 of them containing details about possible crimes. According to Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov, around 50 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated concerning offenses against citizens' political rights.