ACF: ODIHR Report Confirms Serious Risks for Electoral Process, Large-Scale International Observation Mission Expected

The Anti-Corruption Fund Foundation (ACF) takes note of the Needs Assessment Mission Report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) concerning the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 19 April 2026.

The report outlines a number of serious challenges to the electoral process in Bulgaria, including concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of the election administration, questions about pressure on voters and vote-buying, as well as entrenched clientelistic practices at the local level.

ODIHR also notes that several of its recommendations concerning electoral legislation remain unaddressed, and that the recent changes in the electoral rules were limited and fragmented.

Consequently, ODIHR recommends the deployment of a full-scale Election observation Mission. It will include a team of analysts, 16 long-term observers to follow the electoral process countrywide, as well as 200 short-term observers to observe election day proceedings.

For ACF the decision to deploy an international observation mission of such scale is a clear signal of the need to pay special attention to the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.

“The presence of a large international observation mission is an important condition for increasing public trust, however, it is mainly the Bulgarian public institutions who are mainly responsible for guaranteeing the fairness of the electoral process,” said Dr. Mario Rusinov, analyst at the ACF.

ACF will continue to monitor the process and inform the public about the risks to the electoral process, as well as problems related to corruption, vote-buying and pressure on voters.

To the ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission Report