Bulgaria monitors election influence, creating a multi-step system to counter hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns.
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The Hungarian Green Party MEP Tineke Strik stated that while Budapest focuses on Sofia, the Bulgarian election is also significantly important for the future of the European Union. Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Velizar Salamanov reported to Mediapool that they are closely monitoring elections across Europe to prevent and counter influence attempts. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs established a multi-level system against hybrid threats, forming a working group with academics, civil society, and tech companies to monitor digital content and social media, issuing regular reports on interference, troll farms, and disinformation campaigns, while also assisting fact-checking efforts. Salamanov highlighted the importance of “rapid response mechanisms,” where intelligence services oversee reports from expert groups and decide on necessary prevention or intervention. Bulgaria will hold parliamentary elections on April 19th following the resignation of the previous government after it stepped down on December 11th before joining the Eurozone, a departure preceded by large public demonstrations in Sofia against budget cuts.
