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Antoaneta Tsoneva Elections
It's a principle of democracy that elections should be fair and free.
However, Bulgarian elections are often full of coercion,
pressure, and sometimes violence.
Entire groups of people go to the urns not to express their will
but to serve the interests of local ringleaders or regional despots.
That's elections' most hideous face: when people actually do not elect.
When someone else forces them, controls them,
abusing their poverty and need,
using their vote to get dishonest people into the Parliament
or the local government.
If the authorities have been elected by dishonest means,
they cannot be honest and make honest, fair rules.
This is the direst consequence of dishonest and unfree elections.
Votes are purchased in Bulgaria,
because those who want to be in power, some of them at least,
can't attract any voters unless they dole out money.
In the Parliament of Bulgaria,
there're people who have bought their spot on the election lists,
wearing nicknames which make it clear what kinds of interests they cater to,
what corporate interests they stand for.
If they enter an election
showing their faces rather than hiding behind proportional lists,
no-one would vote for them, unless they pay.
Votes get purchased in Bulgaria,
because a major part of the population has no representation.
There's another motivation too: If people feel cheated by the system,
seeing how corrupt the upper levels are and how they go unpunished,
part of them sell their vote,
because it's their only way to gain something from the situation.
To get back at least some of the money that's been taken from them
through unfair rules, corrupt deals, etc.
I work for an organization which promotes certain principles
that should be introduced into Bulgarian election law.
The principles of free and fair elections,
just rules, equality of all voters,
transparency of the process.
It's quite hard, I must tell you.
Never mind that we're a EU member,
and these principles have been recognized as fundamental.
When you have to set the rules that will guarantee them,
you meet with a solid resistance.
Elections are a peaceful way to hand over power.
Rules and procedures have to be obeyed strictly then,
because only they can secure this peaceful handover.
Elections are a fragile time: some leave power, others come.
At that time, the general public should choose freely.
If you induce into this situation tension, hate,
fear, violence, coercion,
you corrupt the entire process and make the election unfair.
Antoaneta Tsoneva Elections