Ivelin Mihailov Claims Election Rigging Prevented 'Greatness' from Entering the Bulgarian Parliament

Politics | October 29, 2024, Tuesday // 08:58
Bulgaria: Ivelin Mihailov Claims Election Rigging Prevented 'Greatness' from Entering the Bulgarian Parliament

Ivelin Mihailov, the ideologue behind the "Greatness" party, described the election outcome in Bulgaria as "rigged," stating he was forewarned that they would not be permitted to enter parliament. In a social media video, Mihailov claimed, "We have evidence of numerous invalid protocols falsifying votes... Many votes were taken from us... If we are not reinstated in the National Assembly, we will file complaints." He emphasized that the party’s focus moving forward would be to strengthen its internal structures.

Following the early parliamentary election, Greatness fell just short of the 51st National Assembly, trailing by about 20 votes after being ranked ninth with a result of 3.999% by the Central Election Commission. Mihailov alleged a "brutal theft of elections," calling attention to the striking nature of the figure, saying, "3.999%... This is so ostentatious. They want you to think you have no chance and they control everything." He urged supporters not to feel defenseless, arguing, "If they were not afraid, they wouldn’t do this."

Reflecting on GERB leader Boyko Borissov's post-election remarks to "Beware of Gundi in the last seconds," Mihailov suggested this comment implied acknowledgment of manipulation, adding, "They clarify some things, even among themselves." He believes the alleged electoral theft could not have occurred without the cooperation of other political formations, who "endorse what is happening."

Mihailov questioned why other parties' results appeared to increase while Greatness’s did not. He asserted that his party’s objective was never to simply hold power but to represent the people’s interests, stating, "I could join the ruling powers if I agreed to do what they want. But that’s not why people elected us."

He described experiencing targeted restrictions during the campaign, claiming the party’s social media profile visibility was intentionally reduced. Mihailov also criticized Radostin Vassilev, calling him "a pawn" with no real influence, and alleged "brutal vote buying" during the election, claiming that "everyone saw it." He added that controversial figure Delyan Peevski likely received no more than 10,000 votes, doubting the official results.

Mihailov further alleged that a party supporter in Simitli had been assaulted, with police reportedly failing to respond to the incident. Additionally, Mihailov shared that an acquaintance with government connections told him three days before the election that Greatness would be capped at 3.9% of the vote.

In a broader message, Mihailov expressed intentions to counter what he described as a rigged system, vowing, "We will build a system to dismantle their machine with irrefutable evidence." He speculated that attempts might be made to detain him, suggesting he could face either custody or other forms of intimidation. Pavel Stoimenov of Greatness also commented, acknowledging awareness of "criminal vote theft" but indicating their efforts were constrained.

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Tags: mihailov, greatness, GERB

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