Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Elections, elections: buy a vote for 50 euros in Bulgaria - the European magazine ~ Cafebabel

Elections, elections: buy a vote for 50 euros in Bulgaria - the European magazine ~ Cafebabel:

That's how much a vote can be worth in some areas of Bulgaria. Shortly after the country’s entry into the EU, in the 2007 national election, the problem was so prevalent in local elections that Brussels became alarmed.

How it works

Cutthroat businessmen can ‘make’ employees vote for them either by promising them a raise or threatening them with demotion. Individuals not directly on the payroll can be bought fairly easily from anywhere between five to fifty euros, depending on the wealth level of the local population, says Vanya Kashukeeva-Nusheva, programme coordinator for Transparency International in Sofia. These can then prove their vote by taking a mobile phone picture of their filled-in ballot. Or, the vote-buyer may provide the individual with a filled-in ballot, in exchange for an empty ballot to be brought back on election day and eventual payment.

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