Vote-buying before Bulgaria runoff: two held near Varna as minister warns
Two men allegedly bought votes near Varna for 50 euros per ID card. Interior Minister Demerdzhiev says reports of vote-buying are rising ahead of Sunday's runoff.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
Police in Varna have detained two 27-year-old men suspected of buying votes in a village in Dolni Chiflik municipality. According to BNT, they allegedly called people to a car and collected their ID cards in exchange for 50 euros each. The tip-off came in on Wednesday.
Economic police searching the car found 16 mobile phones, a laptop, six ID cards and 50-euro banknotes. Pre-trial proceedings have been opened, and the two men were detained for up to 24 hours. Both are presumed innocent.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said on Thursday, after a graduation ceremony at the Interior Ministry Academy, that more and more reports of vote-buying had come in over recent days, especially in support of one of the two tickets, which he did not name. He said the first round had passed extremely calmly. "Votes cannot be gathered in this way," he said, according to BTA, adding: "Wherever we have information, we will respond." Iliana Iotova and Andrey Gyurov face each other in the Nov. 1 runoff.