News

National campaign “I do not sell my ballot!” began on June 29. Open Society Institute – Sofia, National Democratic Institute and the Club of Roma alumni, initiates it. In Veliko Turnovo the campaign will be organized by Center Amalipe.  
The campaign includes dissemination of special flyers and posters as well as from door-to-door campaign in Roma neighborhoods. It will be organized in Sofia, Veliko Turnovo, Montana, Razgrad, Stara Zagora, Burgas and others.
Special press-conference with participation of all organizers announced the campaign. During it Deyan Kolev explained that sociological survey clearly shows that not only Roma are ready to sell their ballot and the vast majority of Roma do not sell their ballot. The problem is rooted in the incapability of the political system to open itself to big groups of citizens who feel themselves unrepresented and powerless– young people, Roma, people with disabilities, etc. While political parties live their own live and do not establish mechanisms for inclusion of broader public interests and groups the phenomenon of “ballot trade” and “appearance of new party for every new election” would exist – pointed Kolev. According to Atanas Stoyanov from Center Amalipe the campaign “I do not sell my ballot” will prove that the young educated Roma have civic consciousness and capacity to decrease at least partly the ballot trade. Nevertheless, the full abolishment of this practice depends on political parties that buy ballots.

The campaign “I do not sell my ballot” follows massages from GOTV campaigns “Don’t sell your ballot!” organized by Center Amalipe in 2005 and 2007.

You can watch the reportage on the national bTV here