The “Bulgarian train,” known as an election manipulation phenomenon first used in Bulgaria, is suspected to have been present during the recent elections held on February 9 in Kosovo, reports Gazeta Sinjali.
The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) made a public accusation, alleging that the ruling party was involved in vote theft in the municipality of Gjakova, prompting the Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation into the matter.
Sinjali has learned that today, the voting boxes will be opened for counting, which, in addition to the Central Election Commission (KQZ), will be monitored by the presence of police investigators.
The counting will take place at the “Shani Nushi” sports hall in Gjakova.
Hajdar Beqa, a candidate for Deputy from the ranks of PDK, posted on Facebook on 10.02.2025, claiming irregularities in the voting process at two centers in Gjakova.
Beqa stated that, according to PDK election observers, the phenomenon of the “Bulgarian train” was suspected to have occurred at the voting centers in the “Zekeria Rexha” and “Fehmi Agani” schools.
“According to the reports from our election observers, there is a well-founded suspicion that at least at two voting centers: one at the ‘Zekeria Rexha’ school and the other at the ‘Fehmi Agani’ school in Gjakova, the ‘Bulgarian train’ phenomenon occurred, where the ruling party, LVV, was over-voted. We urge the judicial authorities to address this case and expect that those who violate the Election Law will face the criminal sanctions provided by the Code,” wrote Deputy Beqa.
Otherwise, the “Bulgarian train” is a method of election manipulation in which voters who are willing to sell their vote, or are coerced by fear to vote for a particular party or candidate, are given pre-filled ballots before entering the voting booth.
Then, when the person enters the voting booth, they take a blank ballot but place the pre-filled ballot they were given earlier into the ballot box, while taking the blank ballot back with them.
