Discussion "Active Civil Society and Fair Elections"„

The data is alarming.

 

Only 161% of Bulgarians expect the early parliamentary elections in April to be fair,

and 69% believe that they will not be honest - presented Parvan Simeonov from the sociological agency "Measure".

 

During the discussion, a survey of the Public Council to the Commission was also presented, presented by Zahari Yankov (Bulgarian Center for Non-Profit Law).

The results show that 861% of respondents do not trust the fairness of the elections. The reasons range from an institutional crisis to vote buying and fraud.

 

Rositsa Kirova, Chairwoman of the Commission, stressed: „There are less than three months left until the elections and it is important to ensure an environment in which the results will correspond to public sentiment.“

She added a disturbing observation: "I am ashamed when I see members of the Election Commission not knowing the election rules."„

 

 Attorney Dora Raychinova ("Society and Security") recalled data from the 2024 elections:

790 reports of vote buying, 115 pre-trial proceedings and only 1 valid conviction.

Without real sanctions, control loses its deterrent effect.

 

 Atanas Radev (National Youth Forum) cites a study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (2024): 361% of young people are looking for "a strong leader who does not care about parliament or elections.".

 Transparency International has warned that representative democracy is losing ground in Bulgaria - a trend that is of serious concern.

 

Stoil Tsitselkov ("Union for Fair Elections") stated that the signals of observers are often ignored and the prosecutor's office should act more actively.

Velichka Zlatkova from Madzharovo raised the issue of massive vote buying in the region and insisted that the voice of local communities be heard.

 

Nadejda Rangelova-Boyadjieva called: "Gradually, democracy and statehood are collapsing and this affects our entire lives. The only option is to be active citizens." and appealed for active involvement in monitoring the election process.

 

 The event was organized by the Public Council to the Commission for Direct Citizen Participation, Complaints and Interaction with Civil Society to the 51st National Assembly and aims to promote dialogue between institutions and civil society.

The dialogue has begun.

 

The question is – will action follow?