Two people arrested in police operation targeting vote-buying ahead of runoff

Two men, aged 52 and 35, have been detained during an ongoing specialized police operation in Sofia aimed at preventing violations of citizens’ political rights in Sunday’s presidential election runoff, said Chief Commissioner Nikolay Peltekov, Director of the Sofia Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior.

Lists of names with corresponding sums of money, along with leaflets supporting a particular presidential ticket, were found at their address. Both men have criminal records for robbery, while one has also been convicted of rape, drunk driving, and driving without a valid licence.

So far, police have inspected 16 addresses, checked 38 people and two vehicles, and drawn up 27 official reports under the Ministry of Interior Act. The first round of the presidential election passed peacefully, and the police received no reports of vote-buying or vote-selling, Nikolay Peltekov added.  

Edited by Diana Tsankova

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov