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We have been alerted to vote buying in Northwestern Bulgaria: Ognyan Gerdzhikov

Photo: BGNES

“Every week I bring together the Interior Ministry, all branches to report on what has been happening – on-site inspections, mobilizations. It is our ambition to organize fair and transparent, democratic elections, inasmuch as that is possible. I have been getting information that emissaries are on the road in places, ready to open their bags. The services in charge have been informed and instructed, preventive steps are being taken. It is vital to create an atmosphere that will not tolerate such extremely malicious practices, practices that are shameful for Bulgaria,” said caretaker Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov regarding information of vote buying in Northwestern Bulgaria, in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio . 
Prof. Gerdzhikov says the absence of machine voting will not vitiate the elections:
“The important thing is whether the elections will be transparent, fair and democratic. Whether there will be voting machines or ballots shall be cast as they have been thus far – that is not something that can be crucial. If anyone decides to contest the elections over the absence of voting machines, there is one competent body and that is the Constitutional Court. I personally am convinced that their ruling will be that the elections have not been vitiated.”
PM Gerdzhikov declared he had been informed of violations in the implementation of the national programme for the energy efficient renovation of buildings:
“We are talking about embezzlement. Extremely low-quality materials have been used at excessive prices. We shall refer all this to the authority concerned.”
Regarding the replacement of top officials by the caretaker cabinet, Ogynan Gerdzhikov says:
“Why do you think it is wrong to appoint a chief of the general staff seeing as there was none appointed, only an ad interim. Yes, there are reshuffles, no one has a subscription to being in power for ever. I have been informed that these new appointments are doing a wonderful job.”
Regarding the decision by caretaker Environment Minister Irina Kostova to greenlight the administration of Pirin national park which envisages construction inside the park, Gerdzhokov stressed the decision was not final:
“It is a draft plan. It is yet to be submitted to the Higher Expert Environmental Council where all individuals concerned are invited, including environmental organizations which are able to present their objections. All this will be put to discussion. After which a finalized draft plan will be developed which will be submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval. We are presently in a procedure and the law has been observed with no deviations from it. It is too early to be talking of wrongdoing, it is still an ongoing process.”
As to the nomination of a Bulgarian European commissioner, Prof. Gerdzhikov commented:
“Together with President Radev we agreed on the following – not to nominate a European commissioner before the elections, but after the elections, if a cabinet cannot be formed right away, then we must wait no longer and must nominate a Bulgarian European commissioner. If a cabinet is formed, then let the regular government make the nomination. I am surprised why the previous cabinet did not do what is necessary to nominate a commissioner. They had three months to do so, but didn’t.”
This week it transpired that a working group was preparing the procedure for the country’s application for the so-called “waiting room” of the Eurozone. 
“These are just preparatory studies. I engaged many experts. The fact itself that this issue is being raised is very valuable. In this discussion we shall see when we could seek the political protection of the European countries so as to apply for entry into the Eurozone. It is not our ambition that this should happen before the end of this short term of office. We are just raising the question that will have to be discussed and the right solution found at some point in the future.”
Ognyan Gerdzhikov announced that a joint meeting of some members of the Bulgarian government with the Romanian cabinet is planned, for discussing some aspects of bilateral relations as well as problems connected with our EU membership. The meeting will probably take place in the first days of April on board a ship on the Danube. 

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