I want you to be brave like tigers, to be resolute in the upcoming days until the parliamentary elections, to act relentlessly against any attempt to buy votes, for controlled or corporate vote. If you act within the law, I will always protect you. In me, you will find an iron ally in a difficult moment when pressure is exerted against you by anyone.
This was stated by the acting Minister of Interior, Emil Dechev. He opened the National Assembly of the Ministry of Interior in connection with the upcoming early parliamentary elections. It is attended by the political and professional leadership, the heads of main directorates and administrations, regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior and the State Agency for National Security.
„We do not want to protect or defend anyone in the electoral process – neither in the days leading up to it, nor on the day of the elections. - stated Dechev. "We want you to be uncompromising towards absolutely everyone, regardless of which side of the political spectrum they belong to. Regardless of which political party or coalition they attempted to buy votes from or carry out corporate or controlled voting," said Dechev.
"Every signal should be treated with the necessary seriousness, and if there is enough evidence of a crime, a criminal case should be initiated in order to hold the guilty parties accountable, regardless of which political party they belong to," stated Vanya Stefanova, Deputy Chief Prosecutor.
Emil Dechev stressed that he does not want the votes to be cancelled after the election. He also stated that the Law on the Ministry of Interior gives enough authority to the police authorities to ensure lawful, fair, transparent and democratic elections.
"We do not want to protect or defend anyone during the election process - neither in the days leading up to it, nor on the day of the elections. We want to be uncompromising towards everyone, regardless of which part of the political spectrum they are from. Regardless of which political party or coalition they tried to buy votes or carry out a corporate or controlled vote," the interior minister said.
"I will familiarize myself with the case of the new director of the Plovdiv police, Vasil Kostadinov, and make my decision,"
Interior Minister Emil Dechev told journalists.
We remind that last night there were protests in Plovdiv against the appointment of Kostadinov, who was replaced three years ago due to the omissions in the investigation of Mitko's murder in Tsalapitsa and subsequently dismissed. However, the court reinstated him.
As far as I know, the disciplinary dismissal has been overturned by the court. I will familiarize myself with the requests of the protesters and make my decision, stated Dechev.
Dechev said he will also review the statistics on whether the prosecutor's office's accusations against vote-buyers result in convictions or acquittals. Measures will be taken if problems are found.
Minister Emil Dechev opened the National Council of the Ministry of Interior in connection with the upcoming early parliamentary elections. It involves the participation of the political and professional leadership, heads of main directorates and administrative offices, and Regional and District Directorates of the Ministry of Interior.
"I believe in the idea of the rule of law. Part of this idea are democratic elections, in which the Ministry of Interior has an extremely important role," he addressed his colleagues within the ministry and added:
"I want you to be brave as tigers, to be determined in the upcoming days until the parliamentary elections, to act uncompromisingly against any attempts to buy votes, for controlled or corporate voting. If you act within the law, I will always protect you, you will find an iron ally in me during difficult moments, when someone puts pressure on you," said Dechev.
He emphasized that he does not want the vote to end up being canceled.
Dechev also stated that the Law on the Ministry of Interior provides enough powers to the police authorities to ensure lawful, fair, transparent, and democratic elections.
" If this has not happened in the past, the problem may be attributed mainly to the political will. In my person, in the face of the current government and its leader Andrey Gurov, I want to assure you that we will be uncompromising, consistent, and we will do everything possible for genuine, fair and lawful elections," Dechev said.
He also stated that he will demand an analysis of how many indictments result in convictions and how many in acquittals.
Deputy Chief Prosecutor Vanya Stefanova pointed out that there have been instructions from the Chief Prosecutor since 2014. Investigations into vote-buying should be conducted as fast-track proceedings and action should be taken within 48 hours. Explain that it makes no sense to follow the regular procedure, which takes two months, as by then the elections will be over.
Regarding the case of the release of the bodies of the three deceased individuals found near Okolchitsa peak, she only commented that since there is no permission for burial, all procedural and investigative actions have not yet been completed.
5220 | 6 March 2026 | 11:19
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