site.btaInternational Election Observers Find Bulgaria Election Environment Characterized By Political, Electoral Fatigue

International Election Observers Find Bulgaria Election Environment Characterized By Political, Electoral Fatigue

Sofia, October 6 (BTA) - Against the backdrop of political
crisis, the election environment was characterized by electoral
and political fatigue, are part of the observations presented at
a news conference Monday by Ambassador Audrey Glover, Head of
the limited election observation mission sent by the OSCE Office
for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Doris
Fiala, Head of the Delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe (PACE).

Against the backdrop of political crisis, the election
environment was characterized by electoral and political
fatigue, because these are the third elections in the last 18
months, the observers said. The campaign occasionally became
negative and populist, with several parties using racist,
xenophobic and inflammatory rhetoric, especially targeting
national minorities. Allegations of vote buying and selling
persisted despite a pledge by the authorities to fully enforce
existing laws against the practice, and the establishment of an
inter-agency task force set up by the Ministry of Internal
Affairs, the ProsecutorТs Office and the National Security
Agency. Despite more than 300 reports of irregularities prior to
election day, only two of these had resulted in prosecutions,
the observers added.

At the same time, although BulgariaТs early parliamentary
elections on 5 October were well administered technically and
fundamental freedoms were respected, allegations from all sides
of vote buying and selling and other election irregularities, as
well as a campaign that lacked substance continued to
negatively affect public confidence in the integrity of the
process, the preliminary conclusions state. The new Electoral
Code generally provides a sound basis for the conduct of
democratic elections. At the same time, it contains certain gaps
and ambiguities that hamper the consistent application of the
law. A number of recommendations in past reports by ODIHR and
the Council of Europe remain unaddressed. One element of the new
Code is the introduction of the single-preference vote, which
gives voters the opportunity to choose individual candidates
from the party lists.

The election administration conducted its work overall in a
professional and transparent manner, contributing positively to
the openness of the electoral process.

The media provided the contestants with a platform to present
their views through debates and interviews, as well as in paid
advertising. Smaller parties and independent candidates said,
however, that the playing field was uneven when it came to
access to the media. There was only limited coverage of the
campaign in the news, and a lack of investigative and analytical
reporting limited the amount of information available to
voters, Glover said.

The observers will also prepare a final report later.