site.btaLabour Minister Ademov: Making a Choice Between Bread and Ballot in 21st Century Is Absurd

The Labour Ministry is continuing its efforts to stop harmful practices involving pressure on vulnerable citizens through the social system, said caretaker Labour Minister Hasan in a televised interview on Thursday. The goal is to bring these practices to light so they are not repeated. Ademov added that having to choose between bread and a ballot in the 21st century is absurd.

The reports received from citizens by the Labour Ministry are serious enough, and all of them are being investigated or have been forwarded to the Ministry of Interior and the prosecutor’s office. Minister Ademov gave specific examples. “A hot lunch scheme is funded by the Ministry of Labour through European solidarity, but it is provided by municipalities, and the projects are managed by individuals appointed by municipal administrations. It happens that municipal administrations change the list of beneficiaries depending on political affiliation. We have specific reports from specific individuals. However, due to fear, they refuse to give statements and testify, which seriously hinders the investigations,” the Minister added.

There are also reports of attempts to misuse food aid packages, which are likewise funded under a European program. They are currently being distributed and are expected to reach more than 530,000 vulnerable Bulgarians.

“We have received a report from the village of Buntsevo, in the municipality of Yakoruda, that not all food items on the list are being distributed, only part of them. The rest are given after working hours to those who vote in a certain way,” said Hasan Ademov.

“We stand behind our employees in the field if they are subjected to influence from local authorities or politicians, but we will be uncompromising if they give in to such pressure,” he said in March in Vratsa, where he concluded a series of meetings with the structures of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. According to him, it is noticeable that employees are still hesitant to report such cases.