Journalist Polina Paunova accused the government information service of participating in election agitation after a message was distributed through the press center of the Council of Ministers with a call from Prime Minister Rumen Radev to vote for Iliyana Yotova in the runoff on November 1. In the second round, Yotova will face Andrey Gyurov.
Paunova commented on the case on Facebook and referred to Art. 168, para. 3 of the Electoral Code. The provision prohibits the free use of public administrative resources in connection with the election campaign.
„The government information service of Rumen Radev is not subject to the law. And this work is not for amateurs“, wrote Polina Paunova.Her claim is related to the way in which the Prime Minister's statement was disseminated – through the official channels of the Council of Ministers. In her publication, the journalist defines this as incompatible with the legal prohibition, but the final assessment of whether there is a violation is up to the competent election authorities.
Alert to the CEC
Meanwhile, the initiative committee of Andrey Gyurov and Georgi Kandev has notified the Central Election Commission and requested an urgent ruling on the case. The alert claims that provisions of the Election Code related to campaigning through state institutions and the use of public administrative resources have been violated.
The committee insists that the CEC assess the actions of the Council of Ministers and rule on the disseminated publications. At the moment, no decision of the commission on the signal has been announced.
Sources: news.bg, mediapool.bg