'Greatness' Party Accuses Borissov and Peevski of Electoral Fraud in Bulgaria's Parliamentary Elections

The "Greatness" party has directly accused Boyko Borissov, the leader of GERB, and Delyan Peevski from DPS-New Beginning of vote manipulation in the recent Bulgarian parliamentary elections held on October 27. At a press conference hosted by party leader Ivelin Mihailov at BTA, it was stated that "Greatness" (Velichie) fell short of the threshold for representation by only 3.999%, receiving 97,438 votes.

During the event, Mihailov alleged that the elections were rigged at multiple levels, asserting that the results do not reflect the true sentiment of the electorate and are indicative of widespread fraud. He accused the two leaders of orchestrating these manipulations to maintain their hold on power, claiming that the electoral process was marred by intimidation and violence. "Greatness" has declared their refusal to recognize the election results and has called for the elections to be annulled, staging protests in Sofia to voice this demand. Mihailov further emphasized a pervasive influence of organized crime within state institutions.

He claimed that state resources were being misappropriated by Borisov and Peevski, treating public funds as their own personal property. Mihailov recounted a threatening incident during the counting of ballots, stating that he was warned he would face incarceration and abuse unless he supported other parliamentary candidates. Following his refusal, he reported experiencing pressure directed at himself, his family, and his business.

He provided examples of irregularities, including an incident where a woman allegedly cast a vote in Simitli while residing in Spain, and noted sections where their party received no votes despite accounts from voters claiming they had voted for them. Mihailov asserted that such irregularities could only occur with the approval of all parties represented on the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Yordan Mitsikulev from "Greatness" revealed that there were 1,989 documented discrepancies between written protocols and machine data across polling stations. He mentioned that votes were entered into machines but did not appear in the official records, with 3,098 protocols identifying violations. According to "Greatness" representatives, the CEC permitted individuals to vote multiple times and presented video evidence of cash being distributed to voters outside polling locations.