Short-Term Jobs for Votes During the Election Period: 'Hraparak'

'In this election, it is unlikely that money will be distributed as bribes, but other corrupt methods will be employed that will compel people to vote not out of conscience, but out of self-interest. According to reports, the hallmark of this election will be the following: candidate parties will open short-term job positions and employ people. This will be done under the guise of election campaign headquarters. Both the government and the opposition will exploit this scheme. The government has already begun widespread hiring and making promises about job placements after the elections.

For instance, one of the candidate parties plans to open hundreds of campaign headquarters across all regions, employing five people in each office for a period of two months. Let’s do the simple math: 500 headquarters with 5 employees each results in 2,500 workers. Just their family members will account for 10,000 votes, and when their relatives and friends are factored in, it amounts to 50,000 votes, meaning the electoral threshold is surpassed. Just one small nuance: the expenses for one party will amount to several million dollars,' the newspaper writes.

Read the full article in today’s issue of the newspaper.