Due to Breaches of Electoral Rules, 181 Pre-Trial Proceedings Have Been Initiated, and 95 Individuals Detained

As at this morning, March 30, more than 576 reports of violations of electoral rules have been received. A total of 181 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated, and 95 people have been detained. This was announced in a statement by the Coordination Council to the Council of Ministers.

Following a series of operations almost daily to address breaches of electoral regulations, the latest assessment from the Ministry of the Interior shows that 576 reports of violations of electoral legislation have been submitted to its structures to date. The highest number has been recorded in Burgas, followed by Sofia and Vratsa.

Ivan Anchev, Deputy Minister of the Interior: “Of all these reports, 514 are related to vote-buying in favour of political parties or coalitions, 15 concern unlawful campaigning, three involve corporate voting, and one relates to the destruction of property. These reports have led to the opening of 181 pre-trial proceedings. A total of 1,476 warning records have been issued, and 120 specialised police operations have been carried out across the country. So far, 95 individuals have been detained: 34 by the Sofia Directorate of the Interior, 15 in Burgas, five each in Kyustendil, Haskovo and Shumen, and four each in Blagoevgrad, Kardzhali, Montana and Pernik.”

The Ministry of the Interior states that it is receiving and investigating every report of electoral violations submitted via the hotline.

District governors are actively working on the production of privacy screens behind which voters will cast their ballots using paper, ensuring they meet specific requirements. These are designed to safeguard the secrecy of the vote while preventing the possibility of photographing ballots—a practice associated with controlled voting, for which numerous reports have been received over time, including during the period when voting took place in polling booths.

The locations for voting abroad have now also been confirmed.

Vanya Nusheva, an election expert and adviser to the caretaker Prime Minister: “More than 60,000 applications have been submitted—twice as many as in the previous elections. A total of 493 polling stations will be established outside the country.”

The Ministry of Electronic Governance is developing several options to help visually impaired voters review candidate lists and cast their ballots more easily.

Vanya Nusheva, an adviser to the Prime Minister and an election expert, said: “The generation of audio files and their publication in an unclear location does not provide sufficient security for the information that visually impaired citizens could potentially use.”

Nikolay Minev, Deputy Minister of Electronic Governance, said: “A QR code will be placed in front of each polling station, which, when scanned by a visually impaired voter, will redirect the individual to the website of the Regional Election Commission. Visually impaired citizens already use sufficiently advanced technological solutions to access and read the relevant information.”

The deadline for submitting applications to vote by current address expires on 4 April.