“There are no visible signs of vote-buying, but if vote-buying is taking place, activity on the vote-buying market should be picking up now.”
“We seem to underestimate, as citizens, how important the choice we are making today is, particularly at this complex political juncture in Europe and around the world.”
This was the assessment of Kalin Slavov, Executive Director of Transparency International Bulgaria, in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR).
“I am surprised by the low turnout in these presidential elections. The office of the president is extremely important, given the powers it carries across the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, including the authority to appoint key figures in the state and the role the president is expected to play in international affairs,” he added.
According to Slavov, these elections are being contested by candidates backed by what he described as pseudo-initiative committees, since political parties are effectively behind both candidates.
“This also helps explain why voter turnout is so low. At the moment, it seems that only the core supporters of these political parties are managing to mobilise,” he said.
Slavov also noted that no meaningful political debate had taken place between the two candidates.
Two hours before the polls were due to close, there were no visible indications of vote-buying, the Executive Director of Transparency International Bulgaria said.
“The situation is particularly conducive to vote-buying because the absolute number of voters is low, meaning that even a relatively small number of purchased votes could affect the election result. Moreover, the voting process is being monitored in real time, despite the ban on publishing opinion polls, and the gap between the two candidates is known. If vote-buying is taking place, activity on the vote-buying market should be picking up now,” he explained.
You can listen to Ludmila Zhelezova’s interview with Kalin Slavov on the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) website.