Petar Paunov, mayor of Kyustendil:
The Golyovtsi Clan is my main reason for moving the polling stations. They are the people who control the Roma vote, even by using force. Voters are under great pressure. There is substitution of records and ballots at the polling stations. I want people to be able to vote normally – so you can say whatever you want about me. Don’t you defend Roma rights? I want the Roma to not be harassed during elections and to vote alongside the Bulgarians. Political parties are at the root of the problem and they are to blame. My decision was not made with an eye to upcoming elections or as part of a campaign. The pressure on voters is really intense. I’ll move the polling stations 800 to 1,000 meters outside the neighborhoods, come what may. I’ll increase the police presence and we’ll see whether things won’t be orderly this time. Let the Roma take money, since it’s being handed out – let them take it, but when they go to vote, let them vote for whomever they want, with no pressure. There’ll be talk and all sorts of rumors, but I don’t care. I might run for mayor and I might not, but I’ll follow through on what I’ve decided.

People from the neighborhood

Lyuben Iliev, pastor from the Iztok neighborhood:
I, as a servant of God, don’t get mixed up in politicians’ business. As a citizen, I vote my conscience. The fact is that vote buying does exist. The fact is that the Bulgarian political parties are paying, too.
Voter turn-out will surely decrease. There are a lot of elderly people. But clever politicians will think up new schemes and they’ll be at it again. It’s not fair to not have any Roma on the Central Elections Committee, because Bulgarians can manipulate the results, too. I do not approve of the idea of moving the polling station out of the neighborhood. I urge all members of the church to vote their conscience and not to sell their vote.

Sasho Krustev, director of the V. Levski Community Center:
I’ve been taking part in elections since 1994, I have served as a municipal councilor. The way I see it is that the political parties should be threatened with such measures, and not us Roma – because representatives of the political parties come to the neighborhood and buy votes. That way they throw the vote into confusion, they throw our own intentions into confusion. The Roma take the money and vote. All the political parties buy votes, that’s the truth. And that prevents us Roma from organizing. For example, in the last local elections, Bulgarian businessmen bought up Romas’ ID cards so that they couldn’t go and vote.

Stefan Lazarov, community leader:
For many years here in the neighborhood “barons” and money-lenders did lots of things and prevented real voting. The fact that the polling stations will be moved is not fatal, because that way the real vote will become apparent. Roma voters will have the chance to actually vote. And the young people will learn to vote without money, because they are the easiest to buy off. As long as our Roma go to the politicians and offer votes for cash and as long as the political parties keep giving it, this corruption will never be rooted out.
The political parties’ attitude towards us will become apparent when we see whether or not there will be Roma on the election committee. And not just on the election committees. Roma need to be included on the lists of candidates as well.

Sasho Kovachev, expert in the regional administration:
I have been on election committees, I have monitored elections. Political corruption has to stop in all neighborhoods. The ones giving out the money are the true criminals. In all elections up until now, we haven’t been able to vote. And it’s a fact that money determines the vote. I am not convinced that moving the polling stations will solve the problem. If the parties keep paying, then once again we’ll have a controlled vote. Let the mayor organize a debate with the political parties to get them to work honestly.
This kind of measure won’t change anything, unless we take other steps, too, and unless the political parties are on board as well.
Moving the polling stations will make it difficult for many people and will limit voter turn-out. There are Bulgarian criminal groups that act as middlemen in vote-buying, not just Roma ones. Bulgarians also sell their votes – will their polling stations be moved out of their neighborhoods? A decision like this will intensify negative attitudes toward the Roma. This way you build up hatred towards the Roma, and not towards the politicians who are guilty of buying votes, since they’re the ones paying. But the Roma will be punished with restrictions on their ability to vote.