Bulgaria carries out 140 operations against vote buying

Bulgaria's Interior Ministry (MVR) has carried out 140 operations against vote buying so far and opened two investigations linked to the cases. The report was published on Friday, 16 October 2026.

Deputy Secretary General of the ministry, Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, said the ministry has taken all measures to guarantee citizens' right to vote freely and to ensure that elections are conducted in accordance with the law. He said he had ordered checks of all settlements where vote-buying activity had intensified. "First and foremost, we are focusing on Roma neighbourhoods and on areas that were under our watch in previous elections," he said.

The ministry has also taken comprehensive measures against possible cyberattacks, aiming to prevent such attacks especially on election day and the day before. Nikolov said vote traders and people involved in election crimes currently appear quiet, but that this does not diminish the importance of the work.