Bulgaria: Election complaints and mayoral arrests reported

In Blagoevgrad, the Regional Election Commission (RIC) has addressed several complaints and signals. One report from the Ministry of Interior noted a deceased person's name on an electoral list in section 014000002. However, the RIC dismissed the signal after an inspection revealed the individual was alive in preliminary lists dated October 14, 2026, and was not included in the main list used for current voting.

Another complaint involved the placement of a voting machine behind a screen in section 010300016 at the National Philanthropic High School 'St. Cyril and Methodius'. The RIC dismissed this complaint, stating that the machine was placed behind the screen to prioritize the secrecy of the vote due to a lack of side partitions on the device.

Separately, MP Kalin Stoyanov has raised questions regarding the detention of the mayors of Sungurlare and Belitsa. Stoyanov alleged that prison officials in Burgas were aware of the mayors' upcoming detention before court rulings were announced. He noted that the request for pretrial detention was moved forward to Thursday, October 22, 2026, after the scheduled Friday judge was deemed unsuitable by investigators. Documentation shows the Burgas prison head notified the Belitsa municipality that Mayor Radoslav Revanski would exercise his right to vote from prison on October 25, 2026, hours before the court's decision on his detention was finalized.