The interim Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Andrei Gurov, has promised tougher measures against vote buying and election manipulation, as the country prepares for its eighth parliamentary election in the last five years.
The elections are taking place against the backdrop of mass protests that erupted in December, sparked by accusations of governmental corruption and dissatisfaction with the regression of the rule of law. These events led to the collapse of the center-right coalition led by the GERB party, reports realitatea.md. Subsequently, Andrei Gurov, former deputy governor of the central bank and member of the anti-corruption formation “We Continue the Change”, was appointed interim prime minister on February 11.
In an interview given to the publication Politico, Gurov stated:
“What we want to do as a government is, for the first time, to protect the elections, rather than manage them. People can see that these elections are protected”
The Bulgarian government is preparing for possible attempts to influence the vote ahead of the parliamentary elections on April 19th. The new party “Progressive Bulgaria” is leading in the polls, followed by Boyko Borissov’s center-right formation. The party is associated with the former left-wing president Rumen Radev.
In recent weeks, Bulgarian authorities have detained over 200 people as part of a national campaign against vote buying and pressure on voters.
These practices even include the use of social programs, such as heating aid and hot meals for vulnerable people, which would have been used as tools to influence voting. Also, in some cases, local officials, including post office heads, would have conveyed incorrect information, suggesting that social benefits come from certain political parties. The Prime Minister also mentioned that a Russian citizen was involved in an electoral fraud case in Stara Zagora.