The low turnout in the presidential runoff and the absence of the issue of Roma integration have once again raised questions about vote-buying, discrimination and segregation. A total of 28.7% of voters went to the polls. Before the vote, Interior Ministry operations in Roma neighborhoods led to more drug dealers being exposed than vote-buyers.
In an interview with BNT, Euroroma chairman Tsvetelin Kanchev said that vote-buying in the presidential election was an isolated phenomenon. According to him, in recent months an increasing number of Roma have been turning down offers of money.
“Discrimination is social,” Tsvetelin Kanchev said.As an example, he pointed to poverty, which he said places poor Roma, Bulgarians and Turks in a similar position. “The problems faced by poor Roma, poor Bulgarians and poor Turks are the same,” Kanchev said.
Different Accounts from Bukovlak
The village of Bukovlak near Pleven has for years been associated with allegations of vote-buying. In a BNT report, some local residents said that they had not been offered money in the presidential election and that interest in this vote was lower compared with parliamentary elections.
Other residents recounted offers of 50 euros, but claimed that they had turned them down. These accounts were given anonymously and do not constitute officially established data on violations. BNT reported that the Interior Ministry’s pre-election operations uncovered more people linked to drugs than vote-buyers.
The Missing Issue of Roma Integration
According to Kanchev, the problems of the Roma community were not among the leading topics in the presidential campaign. He claims that the candidates remained focused on mutual accusations and compromising material instead of presenting specific policies.
The report states that more Roma supported Iliyana Iotova, while 12% said they would not support anyone. The data does not show what voter turnout was among the individual ethnic groups.
Kanchev describes segregated schools as a serious problem and warns that the low quality of education deepens social exclusion. He also links the difficulties facing communities to high prices and inflation.
Euroroma did not nominate or support a presidential candidate in the election. Kanchev said that the organization would monitor the next political processes, while the local elections at the end of next year would, in his view, show whether vote-buying was losing significance as a model.
Sources: bntnews.bg