07/05/2013 Election observation
Strasbourg, 07.05.2013 – A 19-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC), will travel to Bulgaria from 10 to 13 May to observe the early parliamentary elections alongside observers from the OSCE’s Parliamentary Assembly and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
The delegation will meet, in particular, the leaders of the main political parties and coalitions, the Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission, the Chairperson of the Supreme Administrative Court and representatives of civil society and the media, before being deployed around the country to observe the ballot on 12 May.
A member of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe's group of independent legal experts – will provide legal support during the visit.
A PACE pre-electoral delegation visited Sofia on 4 and 5 April.
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A joint press conference is scheduled on Monday 13 May (date and place to be confirmed).