Early Parliamentary Elections, 2 April 2023

Following an invitation from the authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria and in accordance with its mandate, ODIHR has deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to the 2 April 2023 early parliamentary elections. 

Long-term Observation

The ODIHR EOM, headed by Tana de Zulueta, consists of 11 international experts based in Sofia. In addition, 14 long-term observers will be deployed throughout the country from 8 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 the implementation of the amended legal framework, candidate registration, the campaign, election dispute resolution and election media coverage. They will also assess how prior ODIHR election related recommendations have been considered. As part of the observation, the ODIHR EOM will conduct comprehensive monitoring of the media.

Election day

ODIHR have requested 200 short-term observers to be deployed immediately prior to the 2 April elections. The short-term observers will be deployed throughout the country in multinational teams of two to monitor the opening of polling stations, the voting, the counting of ballots, and the tabulation of results.

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 some months after the end of the observation mission.

Previous Elections

ODIHR has previously observed 14 elections in the country, most recently the 2022 early parliamentary elections.