The Interior Ministry says it has received 64 reports of election law violations and breaches of citizens' political rights up to 19 October. Of these, 59 were about vote buying, one was about unlawful campaigning and four were about other election-related violations.
Police have opened 5 criminal cases, three of them under articles 167-169g of the Criminal Code.
What happened before: Police check tip about vote buying in Kardzhali area
The ministry says there is so far no serious sign of so-called vote buying. It said police will keep up their preventive work so people can vote freely and fairly.
The special operations began across Bulgaria on 28 September. Police have carried out 151 of them and issued 625 warnings under article 65 of the Interior Ministry Act. The checks target people who, according to data from past elections, have been linked to crimes against citizens' political rights.
The Sofia city police directorate (SDVR) and regional police directorates run the operations under an approved plan, together with teams from the Gendarmerie, Special Operations and Counter-Terrorism Directorate. The aim is to find, stop and uncover any planned or ongoing criminal activity under these articles of the code, as well as other breaches of election rules. During the operations, officers also work against everyday crime and to cut road casualties.
A task force at the Interior Ministry coordinates the preparations of all units. It is in charge of fighting crimes against political rights, public order and fire safety. The task force works to a set plan and with the Central Election Commission, the prosecutor's office, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and other bodies.
The ministry's main and regional directorates have information groups that collect data on the elections. Each report goes to the relevant unit to be checked.
People can report election violations and crimes throughout the campaign by phone on 02/90 112 98 and by email.