Mobile phones and cameras would be banned from polling booths in Bulgaria's local elections on October 28 following reports of vote-buying scams, Reuters reported.

Bulgarians had allegedly been bribed to vote for a designated candidate and would then prove it by taking a picture of their ballot paper, local media have reported.

The central electoral commission has now decided to ban mobile phones and cameras on election day.

Earlier, the reports forced parliament to amend the law to punish people who sell their votes with up to one year in prison. Buyers of votes face up to three years in jail.

Prosecutors had launched a number of investigations over alleged vote-buying, BTA quoted Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev as saying.