Meeting of the Permanent Secretary Svetlan Stoev with election experts of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
11 June 2024 News
On 11 June 2024, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Svetlan Stoev, held a meeting with election experts of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The subject of the talks was the successful completion of the ODIHR's international observation mission for the early elections for members of parliament held on 9 June this year.
Mr Stoev briefed on the conduct of the elections outside the country. He highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organise the electoral process abroad in order to guarantee the right to vote of every Bulgarian abroad. He stressed that the Republic of Bulgaria adheres to the highest standards and established good practices to ensure free and fair elections. He thanked ODIHR for its cooperation and stressed that the Republic of Bulgaria considers international observation as part of the tools to ensure the free and fair nature of the electoral process.
ODIHR representatives shared their impressions of the organisation and conduct of the elections. During their three-week stay in the Republic of Bulgaria, they held meetings with the Central Election Commission, representatives of all state institutions responsible for the preparation and conduct of the elections, political parties, civil society and the media. They monitored the voting in a number of polling stations and the counting of votes cast. They ensured the transparency and legality of the electoral campaign, the equal access of all political parties to media time and the respect of the principles of free and fair elections.
As a result of their visit, the OSCE ODIHR experts will publish an official report on their observations of the early parliamentary elections held in Bulgaria. In it, they will assess the extent to which the highest international standards for the conduct of elections have been met and make recommendations to improve the democratic nature of the electoral process.