Parliamentary Elections, 4 April 2021
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Mission at a glance
Head of Mission: Corien Jonker
Core team of 11 experts from 10 participating States, based in Sofia
12 long-term observers deployed throughout the country
Mission schedule
2 March: Opening of the mission
8 March: Arrival of long-term observers
9 March: Briefing of long-term observers
10 March: Deployment of long-term observers across the country
4 April: Election day
5 April: Press conference on preliminary findings and conclusions
10 April: Departure of long-term observers
14 April: Departure of the core team
Following an invitation from the authorities of Bulgaria, and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR has deployed a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) to the 4 April 2021 parliamentary elections.
Long-term Observation
The ODIHR LEOM, headed by Corien Jonker, consists of 11 international experts based in Sofia. In addition, 12 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 10 March.
The mission will assess the elections for their compliance with OSCE commitments and other international obligations and standards, as well as with national legislation. Observers will closely monitor all aspects of the election, including possible post-election developments.
Specific aspects include:
- implementation of the amended legal framework
- candidate registration
- election dispute resolution
- election media coverage
They will also assess how prior ODIHR election related recommendations have being considered.
As part of the observation, the ODIHR LEOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.
Election day
In line with ODIHR methodology for LEOMs, the mission will visit a limited number of polling stations on election day, while systematic observation of voting, counting or tabulation of results on election day is not envisaged. The day after the elections, ODIHR, together with its partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.
Co-operation
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are planning to deploy observer delegations for these elections.
The day after the elections, ODIHR, together with its parliamentary partners, will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions at a press conference. A final report on the observation of the entire electoral process will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the observation mission.
Press conference
Previous Elections
ODIHR has previously observed ten elections in the country, most recently the 2017 early parliamentary elections.