NEWS

Participation of the PABSEC Delegation in the Observation of the Parliamentary Elections in the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia, 2 April 2023

The PABSEC Delegation, composed of Mr. Cemal Ozturk, PABSEC Vice-President, Head of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation, Ms. Mariana Cusnir,  Head of the PABSEC Moldovan Delegation, and Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General, took part in the observation mission for parliamentary elections in Sofia (Republic of Bulgaria) on 2 April 2023. The Delegation was accompanied by Mrs. Pavlina Lozanova, Secretary of the PABSEC Legal and Political Affairs Committee and Ms. Fikriye Yakistiran, Secretary of the PABSEC Turkish Delegation.

On 1 April 2023, in the framework of the monitoring mission, Ms. Mariana Cusnir,  Head of the PABSEC Moldovan Delegation, and Mr. Asaf Hajiyev, PABSEC Secretary General visited the Central Election Commission (CEC) and had a meeting with Ms. Kamelia Neykova, Chairperson of the CEC and other members of the Commission, who delivered information about the electoral procedure, the legislative system, as well as the function and the composition of the CEC and responded to the questions of the delegation.

On Election Day, the monitoring delegation visited several polling stations in different districts of Sofia. A common assessment of the PABSEC Delegation was that the elections had been well organized, and all the regulations had been strictly followed. The election process passed without any significant incidents and the parliamentary elections were held in a democratic and transparent way.

According to preliminary evaluations, around 40% of voters cast their ballots. The electoral threshold for the parties was 4%.

According to the preliminary results, the Political party “GERB-Union of Democratic Forces” received 26,5 % of the votes. The second was “We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria” with 24,5 % of the votes. The Political party “Revival” – with 14,1% - took the third position. The Political party “Movement for Rights and Freedom” gained 13.7% and the Coalition “BSP - For Bulgaria” got 8,9 %. The Political party “There is Such a People” got 4.1% of the voters. 

***

In the framework of the visit to Sofia, the PABSEC Delegation met with Ms. Aylin Sekizkök, Ambassador of Türkiye in the Republic of Bulgaria and Mr. Hasan Mehmet Sekizkök, Ambassador of Türkiye in the Republic of North Macedonia. The constructive contribution of Türkiye to strengthening peace and stability in the Black Sea region was underlined. The Secretary General informed about the results of the ongoing spring meetings of the PABSEC Committees in the framework of the Turkish PABSEC Presidency, as well as the preparatory work for the 61st PABSEC General Assembly and the Speakers` Summit, dedicated to the PABSEC 30th Anniversary. 

***

In the framework of the PABSEC Monitoring Mission to the parliamentary elections in Sofia, on 3 April 2023, the PABSEC Secretary General met with Ms. Stefana Karaslavova, Secretary General of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria and Mr. Petar Kanev, Head of the PABSEC Bulgarian Delegation.

According to preliminary data, Mr. Petar Kanev was elected member of the Bulgarian Parliament and Mr. Hajiyev congratulated him on his election.

The PABSEC Secretary General informed about the current activities of the Assembly, the PABSEC events, in the first half of 2023, the organizational and preparatory work for the 61st General Assembly, to be held on 4-5 May 2023, in Ankara and the Speakers` Summit, dedicated to the PABSEC 30th Anniversary.  It was also discussed the organisation of the forthcoming Meeting of the Legal and Political Affairs Committee, scheduled to take place in Bulgaria in October 2023. 

Ms. Stefana Karaslavova and Mr. Petar Kanev expressed their support for the activities of the PABSEC and highly appreciated the work of the PABSEC International Secretariat. It was underlined that the Republic of Bulgaria attaches great importance to its participation in the PABSEC and expressed the readiness for continuing the fruitful cooperation within the Assembly.