Members of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the OSCE PA headed by the Deputy Chairperson of the Delegation Artur Gerasymov took part in the observation of the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria.
From April 1st to 5th, more than 30 parliamentarians from 12 OSCE participating States took part in observing the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. Members of the delegation observed the election process in many regions of Bulgaria, including Sofia, Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Troyan, Lovech and Varna.
The OSCE PA observers work closely with the Long-Term Election Observer mission of the OSCE/ODIHR and the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Artur Gerasymov, Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the OSCE PA, was appointed as Special Coordinator and Head of the Joint Short-Term Election Observation Mission to Bulgaria, and Senator Pascal Allizard (France) headed the OSCE PA delegation.
Members of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the OSCE PA V. Galaychuk and P. Frolov, as well as Deputy Member of the Permanent Delegation Ya. Yurchyshyn also took part in the OSCE PA election observation mission.
Before election day the observers received briefings from government officials, political parties, civil society and media representatives in an online format. The meetings included discussion related to electoral legislation, campaign activity, media coverage, election administration, among other issues. Special attention was paid to machine voting, which was used for the first time during the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria.
On election day, Ukrainian MPs observed the opening and closing of polling stations and the voting process in Sofia, Pernik, and a number of other settlements. During the observation, the OSCE Special Co-ordinator Artur Gerasymov observed elections in several parts of Sofia, including a local Roma community.
A final press conference was held on 5 April, during which Special Coordinator A. Gerasimov announced that the Joint Monitoring Mission of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concluded that the elections were competitive, with respect for fundamental freedoms, but the long-term problems associated with some key elements of the electoral process still need to be addressed. These include transparency of funding and legislation to resolve disputes during elections. There was also a lack of news and analytical materials on the election campaign in the media, which affected the ability of voters to make informed choices.
 
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