No high level of activity observed in vote-buying ahead of upcoming election

Bulgaria's Interior Ministry has received fewer reports and indications of vote-buying and controlled voting ahead of the presidential election on 25 October compared with the previous election.

“We are not seeing these phenomena with the intensity we have witnessed in the past, but this in no way diminishes our attention or the measures we are taking,” Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told reporters in connection with preparations for the electoral process.

Particular attention is being paid to the cyber environment and to election-related activities that cross the boundaries of the law. According to the minister, an increasing share of criminal activity is moving into cyberspace, making it necessary for monitoring and countermeasures to extend to this environment as well.

Ivan Demerdzhiev took part in a coordination meeting with representatives of the Prosecutor's Office, the Interior Ministry, the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and the Central Election Commission (CEC), where the measures taken and arrangements for ensuring the lawful conduct of the electoral process were discussed.

Edited by Diana Tsankova