DPS 'Controlled' Interior Ministry at Local Level - Deputy IntMin

Politicization at the Interior Ministry is the biggest problem with probes into vote-buying schemes in Bulgaria, caretaker Deputy Interior Minister Filip Gunev said Monday.

At the last session of the Civic Board for Free and Transparent Elections that operated with Bulgaria's interim cabinet, Gunev slammed the former socialist-liberal government of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and their predecessors from conservatives Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) for reshuffling chiefs of local directorates at the ministry.

"The Interior Ministry was basically in the DPS's portfolio, it was governed mostly by it. On a local level these regional directors are not just appointments of the professional management, [but] political appointments... coordinated with parties," he alleged.

This is not a problem when investigating into petty crime, put poses challenges to vote-buying and vote-selling probes, since a certain official is in "a conflict of interest, having to investigate into those who appointed him," the website Dariknews.bg quoted Gunev as saying.

The Deputy Minister added some regions showed an increased share of trade in votes, with Pazardzhik in South Bulgaria and Varna in the country's north-east having the highest rates.

Organization of October 5's early elections was the main task that was assigned to the caretaker government by President Rosen Plevneliev.

Caretaker Interior Minister Yordan Bakalov earlier told private national channel bTV that acting politicians were involved in vote-buying and selling, but refused to give any names.

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