221 Agencies Boost Bulgarian Politicians Image before Vote

An elderly Bulgarian woman is seen walking by a wall covered with election posters of the left-wing candidate for president, Ivaylo Kalfin. Photo by BGNES

The total number of declared donations by political parties, coalitions and initiative committees by Tuesday is 395, of which 394 are in cash.

The information was reported by the Bulgarian news agency BGNES after a check of the Election Code registry.

The amount is BGN 757 356, while a week before the October 23 presidential and local elections, it stood at BGN 279 664 and two weeks before – only at BGN 68 000, according to data of the National Audit Office.

Individuals and businesses have made 155 donations in the form of property and 42 donations in the form of free services. For example, the ruling, center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party has received 64 vehicles which were used for the election campaign, while pop singer Petya Boyuklieva had preformed free of charge at a concert of the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).

The largest cash amount donated by individuals is BGN 10 000. It was made by 5 Members of the Parliament from the right-wing Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party to the same party - by party Chair, Ivan Kostov, Asen Agov, Ivan Ivanov, Veselin Metodiev and Ekaterina Mihaylova.

Since everyone who donates BGN 1 000 and up is required to submit a declaration about the source of the donation, there are a large number of the latter in amounts of BGN 950, 960, 980 and even 998.

There is a number of individuals who have donated very modest amounts – BGN 10 and 20 for the campaign of the first and now-former Bulgarian EU Commissioner and independent presidential candidate, formerly from the party of ex King and Prime Minister, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, National Movement for Stability and Prosperity, NMSP, Meglena Kuneva.

Two days after the first round of the elections, political parties, coalitions and initiative committees admit of having used a total of 221 PR, advertisement and polling agencies for their campaigns.

The data comes amidst long-running suspicions among the public and the media that many donations are never declared.

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