site.btaInterior Minister Wants Personnel to Be Absolutely Uncompromising Against Election Crime

Meeting with senior staff and personnel of the Sofia Directorate of the Interior and the Sofia Regional Directorate of the Interior on Tuesday, Interior Minister Emil Dechev told them to act absolutely without compromise against every perpetrator of election crime.

The Interior Ministry leadership held working meetings with the directors and personnel of the two structures in the context of preparations for the April 19 parliamentary elections and the steps taken to guarantee a fair and lawful vote, the Sofia Directorate of the Interior said in a Facebook post.

Dechev stressed that the government and the Interior Ministry do not support any particular political force and have no favourites in the elections. Police actions must be directed solely at upholding the law, regardless of whether the perpetrators are representatives of local authorities, political figures or others.

During the meetings, data were presented on the work of Interior Ministry structures five days before the elections. In the area of the Sofia Directorate, 120 reports of election violations have been received, compared with 15 in the 2024 parliamentary elections. A total of 48 pre-trial proceedings have been initiated (compared with 13 before), 44 people have been detained, and 304 warnings have been issued (compared with 98 previously).

The Sofia Regional Directorate of the Interior has registered 52 reports, compared with nine in the 2024 elections. Nine pre-trial proceedings have been initiated (none previously), nine people have been detained, and 327 warnings have been issued (up from 21 in 2024).

Georgi Kandev, the Ministry's Secretary General, said the increased number of reports indicated growing public trust and rising expectations of police performance. He said the recorded results reflect significant effort by officers, while citizens expect concrete outcomes in countering election violations.