Balgarianovinite.com Caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev has warned that a large quantity of counterfeit euros may be prepared for use in vote-buying ahead of the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, saying this could enable electoral influence “without real money”. Speaking on Nova TV Wednesday, he did not disclose the estimated amount.
He said vote-buying schemes in Bulgaria have become increasingly creative, including the use of hair salons, debt write-offs in shops, and other informal mechanisms.
He added that these practices persist because some political actors believe they can win elections through such methods, and noted that there are even attempts to target first-time voters, including students who have just turned 18.
Dechev said that recent police operations have recorded successes mainly at lower and mid-level networks involved in electoral crime.
Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Ivan Anchev reported a steep rise in enforcement activity ahead of the April 19 vote, including 1,743 alerts, 461 criminal proceedings, 458 fast-track investigations, 288 detentions, and 4,188 warnings – significantly higher than in previous election cycles, despite similar operational resources.
He also said EUR 5,000 and GBP 6,000 intended for vote-buying had just been seized.
He stressed that nationwide visits by Interior Ministry leadership aim to reinforce trust and ensure political neutrality within the system.
In a related development, Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev told Prime Minister Andrey Gurov on Wednesday that vote buyers will remain the target of the Interior Ministry’s attention even after the snap elections this coming Sunday. In a new social media post on crack-downs against vote-buying, Kandev reported the arrest of two municipal councilors from Septemvri Municipality (South Bulgaria). Interior Ministry Warns of Counterfeit Currency Scheme Ahead of Elections, Reports Surge in Vote-Buying Cases 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-15 19:05:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law