site.btaCaretaker Minister Dechev Says 23 of 28 Interior Ministry Regional Directors Replaced ahead of Elections

So far, 23 out of a total of 28 regional directorates of the Interior Ministry have had their directors replaced, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev told Nova Television on Sunday. “The remaining ones will stay in office for the time being,” he added.

The minister said there is a plan in place regarding the elections and that it has already been launched. “On Friday at 9:00 a.m., a national meeting will be held at the General Directorate National Police with the heads of all general directorates and regional directorates of the Interior Ministry, which are very important for the organisation of the elections,” Dechev said. He stressed that even the newly appointed regional directors should not consider themselves untouchable. “If we notice visible violations of the law by any of them, that will not prevent us from replacing these new directors as well,” he added.

He explained that he had personally met with some of the dismissed regional directors, while members of his team had met with others. Asked why he was carrying out these sweeping changes, Dechev said that in order to hold fair, democratic and lawful elections, there must be trust in the regional directorate heads.

The caretaker Interior Minister also said that changes of district police department heads are forthcoming. He added that there is extensive statistical data showing that in the same polling stations 90% of voters have supported one party in one election, while in the next election 90% have voted for “its fierce political opponent.” The Interior Ministry plays an extremely important role in the electoral process, but regional governors also bear responsibility, as do political parties, which can incite, inspire or provoke violations of the law.

According to the minister, reaching the objective truth is extremely important for the electoral process because it is “like a constant inflammation in society.” “All kinds of conspiracy theories are emerging, many people are nervous and in a state of hysteria, and that is extremely bad for elections that must be conducted in a calm environment. However, as minister, I have the right to know how the case is developing,” Dechev said.

Dechev also commented on the Petrohan case. He said he had not exerted pressure on investigators involved in the case. Only the supervising prosecutor can give instructions in the investigation, as stipulated by law, the minister said. “This is the first case in history where, on the one hand, the minister’s right to have at least some idea of what has been happening in his ministry is being questioned, and on the other hand, he is told that it would be better for him to know nothing about the investigation, which is absurd,” Emil Dechev commented. He said he should be informed about the stage the investigation has reached and what actions have been taken, once again stressing that he has no right to give any instructions to investigators.