Bulgaria's Election Campaign for the 2 in 1 Vote Officially Begins
The official commencement of the election campaign for the combined parliamentary and MEP elections in Bulgaria began at midnigh
Local businesses and organised crime figures can easily buy their way to power in Bulgaria since about 40% of potential voters say they are likely to sell their vote, a survey shows.
Between 30% - 40% of the Bulgarian voters say they would take money before casting a ballot or at least do not rule out this possibility, according to a survey of the Open Society Institute in Sofia, which was conducted in March and April this year.
Vote-buying has existed to some degree in many countries of the former eastern bloc, but in Bulgaria it's become an increasingly organised activity. In the 2007 national and MEP elections the problem was so widespread that Brussels became alarmed. The Open Society Institute survey shows that the odds are that the upcoming general and MEP elections this summer will again be seriously marred by allegations of vote buying, not only in Roma neighborhoods around the country.
Asked whether they would accept to take money for voting for a particular political power, the definitely not group among the respondents in the survey accounts for no more than 63%. 5% of the respondents say they would not hesitate to sell their vote and vote for the political power that gave them money, while another 16% say they would take the money but would support the party they believe in or would not go to the booths at all.
Those who expressed hesitancy about selling their vote account for another 16% of the respondents. A total of 43% of the respondents said they do not rule out selling their vote in the upcoming general and MEP elections.
The survey found out that a vote is on average worth EUR 50 in Bulgaria. The price per vote is two times lower in the Northwestern regions of the country and nearly two times higher in the Southern and Central regions.
The highest concentration of voters, who are willing to sell their vote, were found among the supporters of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the survey said.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
The "We Want to Vote" initiative has launched a new internet site aiming at assisting all Bulgarian expats, who wish to vote in the October 23 presidential elections.
Bulgaria's Supreme Constitutional Court is requesting additional documents and expertise in the case of the summer general elections vote in neighboring Turkey.
The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ordered the Bulgarian Ambassadors to Turkey and the US to give explanations for ‘disciplinary violations’ in the July 5 general elections.
The popular party of prime minister Boyko Borisov manages to keep and to even increase its lead ahead of the formerly ruling Socialists following their crushing defeat at July 5 general elections, a brand new survey shows.
The Bulgarian central prosecutor's office has announced that the most serious violations have been found in the Turkish polls from the Bulgarian Parliament Elections on July 5.
An inspection by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has found serious violations in the foreign sections during the Parliament Elections on July 5.
» Political Analyst Antony Todorov: GERB Got "Approval Vote" in Bulgaria's Elections
» Bulgaria Socialist MEP Kristian Vigenin: Cabinet of BSP and GERB Not Unlikely
» Teodor Dechev: Vote Buying in Bulgaria or Shop till You Drop
» Bulgaria Nationalist "Ataka" Party Leader Siderov: I Can't Be Follower of Hitler
» GERB Leader Boyko Borisov: Bulgarian People Just Want Justice!
» Bulgaria Energy Tycoon Hristo Kovachki: Both Stanishev and Borisov Are No Good
» GERB Councilor Robert Yanakiev: Bulgaria Can Be Fixed if Borisov Becomes PM
» Greens Party Co-Chair Petko Kovachev: Just NGOs Are Not Enough in Bulgaria
» Bulgaria's New Government of Borisov & GERB: Newbies or Experts?
» Bulgaria's GERB Government: Minority, Plurality, Majority, or All of the Above
» New Kids on the Block
» Secret Weapon, Trick or Be Tricked
» Do You Speak Bulgarian?
» The Sandwich of Bulgaria's Democracy
» GENERAL Change for Bulgaria?
» Parliamentary Elections 2009 - Rebirth of the Bulgarian Democracy
» Political Sale or Vote for One, Get Two
» The Kilometer as Bulgaria's Latest Measure of Success