The government is legitimate because the fight for the right of Bulgarian citizens to exercise their right to vote freely is legitimate. We will not give up this fight, no matter how much they stab us in the back. And, yes, we need allies - everyone who votes, who does not sell their vote, who inspires others not to be indifferent, is our ally. Our mission is to show people that the state is not above them, but next to them. This was stated by Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov at the beginning of today's government meeting.
The Prime Minister specifically emphasized the fight against vote brokers, whom he defined as kidnappers of democracy. Gyurov noted that so far the number of those detained for election crimes is 223. If we wonder whether that is a lot or a little, let's remember how many people's representatives there are in parliament - 240 people. We have caught almost as many who are trying to replace the will of Bulgarian citizens in order to replace these deputies with our own, the Prime Minister pointed out.
Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov noted his visit to Yakoruda this week. The most frightening and worrying thing I saw was the silence - people are afraid to speak because they think that everything is connected: elections, firewood, social benefits, hot lunch, said Gyurov. The Prime Minister was categorical that when a person believes that all this is connected, he is not free. In this regard, the Prime Minister emphasized the role of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The police must be with the people, it is not only a guarantee of security, but also a guarantee of freedom, Gyurov pointed out and addressed Minister Emil Dechev – they must see you in the field and know that you are there as a protection for them and their rights.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the targeted work of the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Hasan Ademov. We cannot allow people to choose between voting and a hot lunch, this is unacceptable, we are working in this direction with Dr. Ademov, added Gyurov. The Prime Minister pointed out cases reported to him by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in which one vote is sold for two loaves of bread and three salamis - for 8 euros from the notebook with the bills. It has also been detected how the votes of the most vulnerable are traded even with counterfeit money. Besides being a crime, it is humiliation, Gyurov was categorical.
The Prime Minister asked who are the people behind the detained vote brokers. He also asked who are those who want to enter the parliament through the notebooks with the bills of exchange, through the usurers. We do not see the political parties attacking them - they attack the caretaker government, this is what their election campaign is built on, Gyurov pointed out. The Prime Minister was categorical that the caretaker cabinet will not go down on the party ground and will continue the battle against the kidnappers of democracy.