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The “controlled vote” is still wide-spread in Bulgaria, data from Transparency without Borders reveals. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency
A staggering 12% of all Bulgarians enter the so-called risk vote buying group, the experts from Transparency without Borders reported Tuesday.
The risk group includes people who witnessed vote buying, people who had been offered money for their vote or their relatives had been offered money, and people who had sold their vote.
The Transparency without Borders data shows that this percentage has not changed much over the years or with different elections. The "at risk" individuals are not from any particular ethnic group, but rather people with low political culture.
On the base of the 12% and the electoral map of the registered violations the experts also presented the "index of the controlled vote" where 0 is a completely controlled vote while 10 stands for full freedom of elections. This index has been just 3,5 for the last general elections and 4,7 for the elections for European Parliament.
The data, the experts say, is a source of serious alarm, adding the low index had been somewhat corrected by the high voters' turnout.
A total of 26 individuals were apprehended during a law enforcement operation in Sofia's "Hristo Botev" district, targeting various criminal activities including vote buying
Between 12 and 17 per cent of all voting sections in the April 4 general elections in Bulgaria were at a high risk for vote trading, according to a new study of the Anti-Corruption Fund (ACF) that was presented on Thursday.
A criminal group involved in vote buying has been uncovered, prosecutors said.
CEC Members were arrested in the town of Slavyanovo, Pleven region.
The record low activity brought the price of the vote for the European elections on average to about 30 leva on Sunday.
Deputy PM Stefan Yanev did not comment directly on the statement of Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov that, in these elections, signals about vote buying are twice more.
US Ambassador to Bulgaria Eric Rubin has said he will do everything so that President Donald Trump visits the country, according to the Bulgarian National Radio.
Bulgaria's European Parliament Elections - June 7, 2009
The candidates of Bulgaria's ruling GERB party have won the last two mayor by-election runoffs Sunday.
The southwest Bulgarian town of Razlog is voting Sunday in the runoff of mayor by-elections.
Bulgaria's ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party spent 4 times less on their Sofia Mayor election campaign compared to the main opponent - Coalition for Bulgaria.
The Political Council of the Bulgarian conservative RZS party had notified the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Cassations about violations during the Sunday Mayor elections in Sofia.
» Yordanka Fandakova, GERB Party Candidate for Sofia Mayor
» Georgi Kadiev, Bulgarian Socialist Party Candidate for Sofia Mayor
» Pavel Popov, RZS Party Candidate for Sofia Mayor
» Teodor Dechev, Bloggers and Internet Users’ Candidate for Sofia Mayor
» Ivan Antikadzhiev, Union of Free Democrats Candidate for Sofia Mayor
