Balgarianovinite.com Bulgaria’s early parliamentary elections held on April 19 were conducted in a transparent and efficient manner, with high voter turnout, said Monday international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The observers held a press conference in Sofia to present their preliminary findings from the elections.
The observers noted good organization by the responsible institutions and active participation by citizens, despite latest amendments to the Election Code and the decision of Parliament to open up to 20 polling stations in countries outside the EU, excluding those in diplomatic and consular representations.
ODIHR Election Observation Mission Head Dunja Mijatovic said the process they observed offered voters a genuine choice, but in an atmosphere of significant political polarisation and campaign rhetoric that was often negative. “Fundamental freedoms were respected and the process was generally well administered. At the same time, work remains to be done, including in addressing issues such as alleged vote-buying, disinformation, and limited transparency in many aspects of the campaign,” she noted.
According to Mijatovic, a number of longstanding ODIHR and Council of Europe Venice Commission recommendations remain unaddressed. These include issues related to candidate eligibility requirements, effective investigation of electoral violations, access to legal remedies, and measures to enhance participation, she said.
Mijatovic said that concerns related to vote buying and voter intimidation persist. While efforts have been made to address these issues, their continued presence highlights the need for stronger enforcement and greater institutional effectiveness. “Transparency remains limited, oversight mechanisms are constrained, and the role of third-party actors is not adequately regulated,” Mijatovic added. She also noted that women’s participation remains an important area for improvement.
According to the PACE observers, the media landscape is pluralistic, and there are concerns about political and economic influence, widespread self-censorship, and limited analytical reporting, limiting voters’ access to impartial and comprehensive information. While legal guarantees for freedom of expression and access to information exist, criminal defamation and unimplemented safeguards under the European Media Freedom Act remain concerns for editorial independence. ODIHR media monitoring indicated that, despite formal compliance with airtime rules, a reduced scope of editorial and critical news coverage on the part of private media outlets weakened voters’ ability to make informed choices.
PACE delegation head Chris Said said that after years of political instability and repeated returns to the polls, Bulgarian citizens defied logic and voted in strong numbers to give the country a chance for stable government. “The responsibility now lies with Bulgaria’s political leaders to respect that message and turn this vote into effective and credible governance,” he said.
International observers monitored the opening of election day in 68 polling stations, voting in 624 stations, and the counting of ballots in 60 stations, while the tabulation process was observed in all 31 Regional Election Commissions. Nearly 36% of the visited polling stations were located in rural areas. Observers also reported some procedural shortcomings, including cases where the secrecy of the vote was not fully ensured. International Observers: April 19 Elections Conducted Transparently but Marked by High Levels of Polarisation, Negative Rhetoric 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-04-20 15:45:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law