A total of 6 868 455 eligible voters have been urged to cast a ballot in the poll, which comes amid resentment and disappointment over unfulfilled expectations during the term of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s GERB government. Photo by Sofia Photo
Bulgarians head to the polls in a crucial general election on Sunday amid fears that the vote may be rigged on a massive scale.
A scandal erupted on the eve of the election day, as local authorities stormed a printing house and seized 350,000 illegally printed ballots just hours before the vote.
On Saturday, the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office confirmed that it had opened pre-trial proceedings for violation of secret ballot and manipulation of election results.
The questionable ballots were seized from the premises of Multiprint, the company commissioned by the government to print the official election ballots.
Multiprint is owned by a municipal councilor from the center-right GERB party.
The prosecuting authority assured that the extra ballots were stored under enhanced security measures.
However, opposition leaders have already accused GERB of an attempted election fraud.
A total of 6 868 455 eligible voters have been urged to cast a ballot in the poll, which comes amid resentment and disappointment over unfulfilled expectations during the term of former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s GERB government.
Recent public-opinion surveys show GERB and the Bulgarian Socialist Party running neck-and-neck ahead of the election.