At an extraordinary press conference held at the Bulgarian News Agency’s regional office in Pazardzhik, leading figures of the political party Velichie delivered a stark assessment of Bulgaria’s electoral climate, framing the deployment of a full-scale international observation mission by the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) as an unmistakable sign of systemic democratic distress.

The party’s lead candidates, Yordan Mitskulev and Larisa Savova, joined by parliamentary hopefuls attorney Petya Stamenova and Nikolay Pankov, presented what they described as “deeply troubling facts and circumstances” surrounding the OSCE/ODIHR decision to monitor the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, 2026.

According to Velichie, such a mission cannot be dismissed as a procedural routine. Full-scale observation, they argued, is reserved for contexts where international evaluators have identified serious and structural risks to the integrity of the electoral process. In this light, Bulgaria’s inclusion under such scrutiny constitutes not merely a technical development, but a grave institutional and political signal - one that speaks to a profound erosion of public trust in the fairness of elections.

The mission, already operational within the country, is led by Dunja Mijatović of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It comprises a core team of twelve international experts drawn from nine countries, all based in Sofia. Their work is complemented by fourteen long-term observers deployed across the country, while an additional two hundred short-term observers will join on election day. Together, they will oversee the entire electoral cycle –  from the opening of polling stations and the casting of ballots to the counting process and the aggregation of results.

Representatives of Velichie emphasized that this deployment followed a comprehensive international assessment involving consultations with key Bulgarian institutions, including the Central Election Commission, the Supreme Administrative Court, the National Audit Office, the Council for Electronic Media, the Communications Regulation Commission, and the state-owned company Information Services, as well as with parliamentary political forces.

Within this process, the party underscored its own role, claiming to have actively contributed by presenting detailed evidence of distortions within the electoral environment. Particular emphasis was placed on a report submitted to the international mission, containing what the party described as substantial proof of electoral malpractice. These materials allegedly document vote-buying schemes, controlled voting networks, clientelist dependencies, pressure exerted on voters, and interference in the functioning of electoral administration.

According to Velichie, the breadth and gravity of this evidence played a decisive role in shaping the international conclusion that Bulgaria faces a systemic risk to the integrity of its elections.

The press conference also drew attention to what the party described as one of the most consequential institutional crises of recent years: the Constitutional Court’s decision of March 2025. That ruling led to the annulment of election results, the redistribution of sixteen parliamentary mandates, and a direct reconfiguration of the National Assembly’s composition. In the party’s interpretation, this episode profoundly destabilized public confidence and demonstrated that concerns over electoral fairness extend far beyond election day itself, touching the very architecture of institutional legitimacy.

Velichie further pointed to a range of risks identified by OSCE/ODIHR: heightened political polarization, declining public trust, doubts regarding the impartiality and effectiveness of electoral authorities, irregularities in campaign practices, including vote - buying and controlled voting as well as serious shortcomings in the regulation of the online environment. These include the spread of disinformation and the potential for both domestic and foreign interference.

It is precisely this convergence of factors, the party argued, that has led to the decision to deploy a full observation mission.

Speakers at the press conference stressed that the international mission’s mandate extends well beyond the technical conduct of election day. Observers will assess the broader electoral ecosystem, including media coverage, digital space dynamics, institutional coordination, mechanisms to counter disinformation, and reported instances of electoral abuse.

In the view of Velichie, this expanded scope reflects a shift in how the international community perceives the situation in Bulgaria. No longer seen as a purely domestic political dispute, the issue has been elevated to one of democratic resilience and rule of law.

The party concluded that the presence of the OSCE/ODIHR mission constitutes a clear international signal: serious doubts persist regarding the fairness, transparency, and institutional reliability of Bulgaria’s electoral process. This development, they insisted, must not be trivialized. Rather, it should be understood as a warning that restoring trust in elections can no longer be achieved through internal assurances alone, but requires tangible accountability, transparency, and sustained external oversight.

Velichie affirmed its intention to continue cooperating with international observers, providing information and evidence on all identified irregularities, while insisting on the restoration of electoral integrity, the safeguarding of the rule of law, and the conduct of genuinely free and fair elections in the Republic of Bulgaria.

PP Velichie 

Pazardzhik,

March 20, 2026

Watch the full press conference HERE!