Is there indisputable evidence of America's interference in the elections in Bulgaria? No, that's not true: False claims have been circulating online, regarding a video that allegedly demonstrates US involvement in the Bulgarian elections. The video is based on personal opinions and speculation, not on facts or evidence.
The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) published on May 18, 2023, under the title "Fake elections in Bulgaria." The video opened with the words of the American journalist Steven Kinzer:
Yes, it's true. We are still intervening in foreign elections and the ones he's been thinking about are recent elections in Bulgaria.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Fri Jun 2 18:53:28 2023 UTC+2)
The video alleging American interference in the Bulgarian elections is an edited and manipulated rendition of the American TV show Democracy Now! episode aired on March 12, 2018. The version shared on Bulgarian social media and websites are considerably shorter than the original interview. By strategically placing the sentence regarding Bulgaria at the beginning, viewers are falsely led to believe that this specific topic was the focus of the discussion.
The viewpoint expressed by American journalist Steven Kinzer, stating that the US interfered in the politics of Bulgaria, Mongolia, and Slovakia, is his personal opinion rather than an acknowledgment or substantiated evidence.
Another part of the video includes a Fox News interview with former CIA Director James Woolsey, which took place a few weeks before the Democracy Now! interview. In it, Woolsey did not specifically mention Bulgaria when discussing US involvement in foreign elections. Instead, he provided historical examples from the Cold War era and stated that such actions were justified "only for a very good cause and in the interests of democracy" in the present day.
Prior to the interview in March 2018, the most recent elections in Bulgaria were the parliamentary elections in 2017 and the presidential elections at the end of 2016. According to election observation reports from the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, these elections were deemed competitive, transparent, and conducted with respect for fundamental freedoms.
Other Lead Stories fact checks related to US 2020 election claims can be found here.
