The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is a key partner
05 April 2013 News
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marin Raykov met with a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
"The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is a key partner. The Bulgarian government has decided to organise and hold fully free, transparent, fair and democratic elections," Bulgarian Prime Minister Marin Raykov said at a meeting today with a PACE delegation. He informed the delegates of the measures taken by the Government regarding the organisation of the forthcoming parliamentary elections. "Yesterday was the first meeting of the Election Board, which is intended to advise on and monitor the electoral process. Participants in the board include representatives of non-governmental organisations, well-known Bulgarian specialists in election law, academics and other prominent figures," Marin Raykov said. "For us, the watchword of the day is transparency, in the economy, in the electoral process and in the government," he said.
Head of Delegation Andreas Gross expressed thanks for the good co-operation with Bulgarian institutions in organising the observer mission of the Assembly. He and his colleagues were informed of the latest amendments to the Election Code.
In accordance with a decision by the 41st National Assembly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an invitation to international observers, including to PACE, to participate. The survey mission was composed of six members of parliament who have come to Bulgaria to make preparations for the deployment of observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which is the oldest European institution. On the Bulgarian side, the meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour and Social Policy Deyana Kostadinova and Justice Minister Dragomir Yordanov.