A week before the vote: police target vote buying in Blagoevgrad and Pazardzhik
In Blagoevgrad region 635 people and 18 addresses were checked and 19 people detained – for other offences. No reports of electoral violations so far.
Symbolic image · Photo: Apostelgreek2 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Police in the Blagoevgrad region have been running a special operation with the gendarmerie for about two weeks. They have checked 635 people, 541 vehicles and 18 addresses for possible electoral violations, focusing on people suspected of buying or selling votes in previous elections. Chief Inspector Strahil Antalavichev of the Blagoevgrad regional police directorate announced the figures.
During the week, 15 people were detained and four more held for up to 24 hours, but not for crimes against citizens' political rights, he said. About 110 grams of amphetamine and a small amount of marijuana were seized, and three pre-trial proceedings were opened. No reports of violations of voting rights had been received so far.
A similar operation is under way in the Pazardzhik region. It aims to prevent crimes against voting rights and curb petty crime, with road checks also stepped up. Teams from Pazardzhik, Peshtera, Panagyurishte, Velingrad and Septemvri are taking part, along with gendarmerie from Plovdiv.