Bulgaria: Interior Ministry Launches Nationwide Operation to Combat Vote-Buying

The national police operation targeting vote-buying began on September 27 and will continue throughout the election process. All Ministry of Internal Affairs employees with police authority are participating in the operation, according to Acting Minister of Internal Affairs, Atanas Ilkov, who addressed the National Assembly.

Earlier, Ilkov was summoned by deputies for a hearing regarding concerns over vote-buying. During the session, the interior minister announced the replacement of two regional directorate heads so far.

Ilkov emphasized that he is closely monitoring the actions of each director. He stated that if there are any indications of bias or well-founded concerns about violations, he will take strict measures.

In response to a question from Georgi Svilenski, Ilkov did not specify whether representatives from political parties are involved in vote-buying.