Political tension around election violations in Varna reached a new peak, after members of parliament Lena Borislavova and Bogdan Bogdanov from the "We Continue the Change" (PP) party officially notified the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) with compromising data against former mayor Ivan Portnikh.
The basis for the signal stems from a public statement by Ruslan Toshev – a long-time party member of GERB and deputy in the 43rd and 44th National Assembly. In an expressive interview with the media "Club Z", Toshev revealed substantial suspicions of manipulating the preferential vote in favor of Portnikh and other candidates from the political formation.
"There is a shocking imbalance in law enforcement," Borislavova was categorical during the filing of the signal. She emphasized the paradoxical situation where a current mayor from PP – Blagomir Kotsev, is behind bars without convincing evidence, while another political representative moves freely, regardless of serious allegations against him.
The deputy questioned the impartiality of the KPK leadership, noting that its key figures – Petar Koev and Stoyan Petkov, are actually candidates nominated by GERB, ITN and BSP. According to Borislavova, these leaders are prone to conducting biased investigations and even provoke false testimony.
Bogdan Bogdanov, for his part, emphasized the exceptional gravity of the publicly announced accusations. "When an internal party member makes such serious claims, they cannot be ignored," he stated and insisted on a thorough investigation by anti-corruption authorities.
In his detailed exposition to "Club Z", Ruslan Toshev revealed the mechanisms of the alleged election manipulations. According to him, Portnikh deliberately removed preferences through internal party commissions, referring to Constitutional Court decisions that confirm the existence of systemic violations during the last parliamentary elections.
Toshev emphasized the pressure exerted by Portnikh on local mayors during election campaigns, including attempts to redirect votes to specific candidates. These claims further intensify suspicions of an organized election manipulation scheme.
Parallel to these events, Blagomyr Kotsev remains in detention after a decision by the Sofia Appellate Court on July 18. Together with him, municipal councilors Jordan Kateliev and Nikolay Stefanov are also detained, while businessman Ivaylo Marinov was released on bail due to lack of direct evidence of complicity.
The PP signal raises another sharp question about transparency and integrity in the Bulgarian political system, with expectations that the KPK will undertake an in-depth investigation of the raised accusations.