International Observers from OSCE - Elections in Bulgaria, Fair and Transparent

The July 11 early parliamentary elections  in Bulgaria were competitive, and fundamental freedoms were generally respected, Artur Gerasimov, Cpecial Co-ordinator and head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) short-term observation missionto Sofia, told a press conference Monday. 

Gerasimov noted that the middle part of the election campaign was dominated by mutual accusations of corruption by the former
ruling party and the caretaker government, and there was action taken by law enforcement to prevent vote buying. 

The elections were held in an adequate legal framework that was established shortly prior, which led to tensions during the
preparations, the observers noted. According to them, the technical aspects have been managed efficiently, despite the
short deadlines, the pandemic, and the late adoption of some procedural actions.
Transparency and accountability of campaign financing have been reduced due to a supervisory deficit, Gerasimov added. The media  offered limited coverage, which affected voters' ability to make their choices, he said.
In general, the process was transparent, the relevant procedures  were followed, machine voting was applied in a generally efficient way with a few issues, Gerasimov summed up. 

According to Alfred Heer of the PACE observation delegation, the  voting in the polling stations was technically well organized and the voting process was transparent.

''The machines worked very well in the locations we visited,'' he noted.