site.btaUPDATED Minister Dechev Calls on Interior Ministry Personnel to Act Uncompromisingly against Vote Buying

Speaking at a national meeting of the Interior Ministry held on Friday to discuss the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev called on Ministry personnel to act uncompromisingly against vote buying and any attempts at controlled or corporate voting. “I want you to be courageous and decisive in the days leading up to the parliamentary elections, to act firmly against any attempts at vote buying and controlled or corporate voting,” he said. 

“For me, the concept of the State governed by the rule of law is not an empty phrase. It is one of the foundations of a modern, civilized State - the kind of State we would very much like to have. I sincerely believe in the notion of the State governed by the rule of law. An essential part of this notion is the conduct of democratic, lawful elections, in which the Interior Ministry plays a key role,” Dechev added.

Dechev urged the Interior Ministry personnel to be uncompromising towards everyone, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum. “We will not cover for anyone. We will not favour anyone. We will under no circumstances work deliberately only against certain people in order to help their political opponents,” Dechev added.

He also urged that the Ministry’s work not be linked to any potential new decision by the Constitutional Court to annul the elections, as happened with the partial annulment of the October 2024 parliamentary elections, which led to a change in the composition of Parliament. Dechev stressed that they all bear responsibility to ensure that the elections show what the sovereign wants.

“We do not want to protect anyone in the electoral process. If anyone tells you that the minister, or any of the deputy ministers, or the prime minister has ordered that you turn a blind eye to an alert about vote-buying or another election crime, know that they are lying to you,” Dechev said.

Speaking to reporters, he said he would request an analysis of what share of indictments filed in court in connection with election-crime charges ended in acquittals. He added that the matter could be addressed in coordination with the prosecution service to identify any existing problems.

The Ministry of Interior Act provides police authorities with sufficient powers to ensure elections that are lawful, fair, transparent, and democratic. “If this has not been achieved in the past, I believe the issue lies neither in the law nor with colleagues at the Interior Ministry,“ he said. He added that the problem stems primarily from political will and past leadership, “which may not have shown enough energy or commitment to guarantee truly fair and lawful elections.” Dechev's statement came in response to a BTA question about how Interior Ministry personnel would implement his call to be impartial and do their job properly under new leadership.

Asked by BTA whether the replacement of nearly all directors of the Ministry's general and regional directorates amounts to a political purge, Dechev said that responsibility for genuine and democratic elections rests with the government. “To achieve this, we must fully trust the heads of the Interior Ministry units. It is our right, permitted by law, to select a team we can work with, to be confident in their professionalism and integrity, to trust them, and to know that what we ask will be carried out - without any breakdown in the process,” he added.