Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev accused of illegal election campaigning

Bulgarian political figures and opposition groups have accused Prime Minister Rumen Radev of violating the Election Code by using official government channels to campaign for Iliana Yotova. Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chairman of 'Yes, Bulgaria', called for the Central Election Commission (CEC) to intervene immediately, alleging that the Prime Minister's support for Yotova was broadcast through the Council of Ministers' official information channels.

Bozhanov further alleged that the government is attempting to delay the submission of the budget to avoid public scrutiny before the elections. In response, the Prime Minister's press office defended the communications, stating that the official information service is responsible for reporting the Prime Minister's public positions. The press office also criticized certain media outlets for failing to report the Prime Minister's statements accurately, suggesting that journalists were deviating from professional standards by omitting or manipulating his words.

The government maintains that the official election campaign period has not yet formally begun under Article 342 (3) of the Election Code, despite the allegations of premature campaigning.