28/03/2013 Election observation
Strasbourg 28.03.2013 – A six-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), will carry out a pre-electoral mission to Bulgaria on 4-5 April 2013, to assess the electoral framework and campaign prior to the early parliamentary elections to be held in the country on 12 May.
In Sofia, the delegation is due to meet the President of the Republic and members of the caretaker government, including the Prime Minister.
Talks are also planned with the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission, representatives of the parliamentary groups, the Bulgarian delegation to PACE and representatives of the parties and coalitions standing for election, civil society and the media.
A full 21-member delegation from the Assembly will return to the country to observe the voting before making a final assessment.
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A press conference is scheduled for Friday 5 April at 3 pm in the Sheraton Hotel (5, Sveta Nedelya Square, Sofia)
Members of the delegation:
Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), head of the delegation
Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD)
Tinatin Khidasheli (Georgia, ALDE)
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu (Turkey, EDG)
Nikolaj Villumsen (Denmark, UEL)
Luca Volontè (Italy, EPP/CD), PACE co-rapporteur for the monitoring of Bulgaria