Bulgaria’s interim government on Wednesday criticized the prosecution service over its handling of vote-buying cases, urging stronger coordination among institutions days before the upcoming elections.
Interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov said efforts to ensure fair elections required joint action from citizens, police, and prosecutors, stressing that the latter played a decisive role in combating electoral fraud.
“The fight for fair elections is not the responsibility of a single institution. It is a team effort… the decisive step lies with the prosecution,” Gyurov said.
Interior Minister Emil Dechev said law enforcement authorities were actively targeting organized vote-buying networks, adding that around 30 prosecutorial cases had been opened against individuals with parliamentary immunity suspected of election-related crimes.
“At this stage, the next move is up to the prosecution,” Dechev said.
Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov also raised concerns over what he described as troubling actions by prosecutors, referring to a журналистичко истражување that suggested potential misconduct in handling a traffic accident case involving a former security guard linked to acting Chief Prosecutor Borislav Sarafov.
Yankulov said the government had requested detailed information from prosecutors regarding the case, while the ministry had launched an internal inspection.
The criticism comes as authorities step up measures to prevent electoral violations ahead of the vote, amid longstanding concerns over vote-buying and institutional accountability in Bulgaria.