In the village of Bukovlak, Pleven region, the second round of the presidential elections is taking place with extremely low voter turnout. There are no queues in front of the three polling stations, although over 3,500 people are included in the voter lists. Some of the local residents told BNT that they did not receive financial offers and that is why they stayed at home.
The topic of money is present in the conversations in the village, but this time not because of the amounts given out, but because of the lack of such. Iliicho Bechev says that people are used to being offered 50 euros to go to the polls.
„They don't give money, they were taught 50 euros. Now there is no one, no one to vote. When they say they will give, we will go“, says Bechev, quoted by BNT.According to him, in previous cases, local residents were treated to about 10 euros and beer in the center of the village. Bechev also spoke of expecting the treat to reach 20 euros.
Another resident of Bukovluk, Zlatko Benov, defines the practice as a scheme, not a business. He claims that financial offers are not made during presidential elections.
“It was not a business, it was a scheme. I tell you the truth - no one offers money for presidential elections. No one will vote“, says Benov.Increased police presence
The police report that no vote buyers have been detained in Bukovluk. Election day passed peacefully and without any recorded violations, and teams from the Ministry of Interior monitored order around the polling stations.
The village is traditionally among the risk points for controlled and bought votes in the Pleven region. Before the first round, a specialized operation was conducted there with the participation of nearly 200 employees of the Ministry of Interior and the gendarmerie. The goal was to prevent vote trading.
Low turnout in Bukovlak was also reported in the first round. At the moment, there are no data on detainees or violations established within the run-off.
Sources: bntnews.bg, dunavmost.com