Bulgaria, Presidential and Municipal Elections, 23 October 2011: Needs Assessment Mission Report

On 20 June, the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Bulgaria to the OSCE invited the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) to observe the 23 October presidential and municipal elections. OSCE/ODIHR undertook a Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) to the Republic of Bulgaria from 18 to 21 July 2011. The OSCE/ODIHR NAM included Armin Rabitsch, OSCE/ODIHR Senior Election Adviser, and Lusine Badalyan, OSCE/ODIHR Election Adviser.

The purpose of the mission was to assess the pre-election environment and the preparations for the presidential and municipal elections. Based on this assessment, the NAM was to recommend whether to deploy an OSCE/ODIHR election-related activity for the forthcoming elections, and if so, what type of activity best meets the identified needs. Meetings were held with officials from state institutions, the election administration, and the judiciary, as well as with representatives of political parties, media, and civil society.