Police have carried out 140 operations against vote buying, and pre-trial proceedings have been opened in two of the cases. Chief commissioner Lyubomir Nikolov, acting chief secretary of the Interior Ministry, gave the figures to journalists.

Nikolov has ordered preventive checks in all places with many vote buyers. The checks focus mostly on Roma neighbourhoods and on places watched during earlier elections.

Asked about people already identified, the chief commissioner said: "There are people identified, there are many, we work with them all the time." Police are drawing up warning notices and taking other preventive steps under the Interior Ministry Act.

Nikolov said the ministry is working on several fronts, with vote buying first among them.

"Election traders and people who commit election crimes are quiet for now, but this in no way plays down our work," he said.

If police identify people or a crime, the response will be immediate, Nikolov added. The ministry is not as active on TikTok, he said, but it is active on the ground.

The ministry is also watching cyberspace because of the risk of cyberattacks around the elections. Attention will be highest on election day and the day before.

Other agencies, including the FBI, are helping to investigate email threats against institutions, Nikolov told BTA. He expects to have the information needed soon to name specific suspects.