site.btaInterior Minister: It Is Dangerous to Suggest that Elections Depend on Interior Ministry

Elections do not depend on the Ministry of Interior, and it is dangerous to suggest otherwise, outgoing Interior Minister Daniel Mitov said in Dimitrovgrad on Friday. He and Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, Director of the General Directorate for Fire Safety and Civil Protection, inaugurated the renovated fire service building in the town.

“All the talk about elections depending on the Interior Ministry is nonsense,” Mitov said. He explained that the role of the Ministry is to respond to reports and, when a crime is detected, to refer it for prosecution. “How can elections depend on the police in a democracy?” the outgoing Minister asked.

Early parliamentary elections are scheduled for spring, following the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government in December and the subsequent refusal of parliamentary groups to try to form a new regular government under the present National Assembly.

Asked what qualities a caretaker Interior Minister should have, Mitov said that, from his experience, the minister should not interfere with police work. “They must be allowed to operate, and when a team functions calmly without political direction from the minister, results follow. Such a person should not interfere politically in the process," he said. According to him, MP and former Interior Minister Boyko Rashkov is not that kind of person.

Mitov stressed that the integrity of elections depends on political parties, the Electoral Code, and how the Central Election Commission organizes the vote.

Regarding the work of the Interior Ministry during his outgoing term, Mitov said there had been positive results in the fight against drugs and drug trafficking. “We are no longer talking about bars in Sofia. Road safety results were also “not bad,” though there was room for improvement. Last year [2025], the number of fatalities fell by 20, the number of injured by over 750, and serious traffic accidents decreased by more than 550," Mitov noted.