A provincial mayor close to oligarch and political party leader Delyan Peevski has been accused of sending threats to investigative journalist Venelina Popova over her work uncovering alleged electoral corruption.
Bulgarian journalist Venelina Popova, from the investigative online media outlet Za istinata (For the Truth), has received a series of threats from Mayor Nikolay Tonev, the website and the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria said on Thursday.
The mayor of the small town of Galabovo reportedly sent threats through Viber to Popova over her critical coverage of the October 27 elections, alleging electoral fraud in his region.
“Besides throwing various offensive descriptions at her, [mayor] Nikolay Tonev also tries to intimidate her with outright cynical sexist insults,” said the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria.
Popova, an award-winning journalist with a background in radio, has received threats from Tonev before over her articles. She has written that he intimidated people in nearby villages to dissuade them from voting for his opponents in local elections in November 2023.
She has also investigated a contract kept under wraps by Galabovo municipality to import 500,000 tons of waste from Italy for the town-based company TPP Brickel to use as fuel. (In 2022, the government of Kiril Petkov tried to close down the plant because of high levels of sulfur dioxide but the courts overturned the decision).
In 2023, Tonev won his sixth mandate as a mayor as a member of the mainly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, MRF, a party which has often faced corruption allegations, and which recently split into two rival factions. Tonev joined the wing of internationally sanctioned oligarch Delyan Peevski, currently leader of the MRF – New Beginning faction.
“We strongly oppose this style of communication between politicians and journalists and we demand the leadership of MRF – New Beginning and Delyan Peevski come forward and answer whether this attitude of Nikolay Tonev corresponds to the ‘Euro-Atlantic values’ Peevski claims to profess,” AEJ-Bulgaria added.
Four journalists were also threatened during the country’s recent elections – the seventh in a three-year-long political stalemate – usually following clashes with mayors, polling station workers and members of Peevski’s MRF – New Beginning.
On November 6, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom stated: “We demand a thorough and impartial investigation into each incident so that those responsible for the attacks are held accountable, and urge the authorities to ensure a safe environment for journalists.”
According to the Ministry of Interior and interim PM Dimitar Glavchev, no major wrongdoings took place on election day.
Popova’s investigative work reinforces opposition claims that the October 27 election was compromised by electoral fraud, mostly initiated by Peevski and MRF-New Beginning. Most parties elected to the new parliament are disputing the results and calling for a recount.
Bulgarian journalists and publishers have long faced challenges in their work. Currently the country stands in 59th place in the Reporters Without Borders index.
In 2020, charges against publisher Ivo Prokopiev were widely described as politically motivated and as closely linked to his media outlets’ criticism of then the GERB-led government.
Also in 2020, Dimitar Petzov, a journalist from Silistra, accused the local authorities of framing him after he was charged with illegal drug possession.
During the anti-establishment protests of 2020-2021, media workers often were on the receiving end of police violence. The year saw a wave of threats targeting journalists, activists and opposition figures.
Mayors affiliated to the MRF have been embroiled in various controversies. In 2016, a village mayor was charged with running a criminal group, sentenced, but then released in June 2024. In 2022, the mayor of Yakoruda committed suicide while being investigated for a conflict of interest.