ODIHR opens election observation mission in Bulgaria

SOFIA, 9 June 2021 – The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) today opened an election observation mission (EOM) for the 11 July early parliamentary elections, following an invitation from the country’s authorities.

The mission is led by Tana de Zulueta and consists of a core team of 12 experts based in Sofia and 14 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 16 June.

The mission will assess whether the elections are held in line with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor key aspects of the elections such as voter registration, campaign activities, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies, election-related legislation and its implementation, and the resolution of election-related disputes. The mission will also monitor media coverage of the campaign.

ODIHR also plans to request 200 short-term observers from OSCE participating States to follow events on election day. However, this remains dependent on developments in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, including health concerns, travel and border restrictions across the OSCE region, and related regulations within Bulgaria.

Meetings with representatives of relevant authorities and political parties, civil society, the media and the international community form an integral part of the observation. On election day itself, the ODIHR mission will join efforts with delegations from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

An interim report will be published to update the public and media during the course of the observation. The day after the elections, the mission’s preliminary findings will be presented at a press conference, and ODIHR will publish a final report summing up the observation and making recommendations for improvements approximately two months after the end of the election process.

For further information, please visit www.osce.org/odihr/elections/bulgaria.

Media contacts:

Egor Tilpunov, Media Analyst: egor.tilpunov@odihr.bg or +359 878 529 066

Katya Andrusz, ODIHR Spokesperson: katya.andrusz@odihr.pl  or +48 609 522 266