site.btaCaretaker PM Gurov, Interior Minister Dechev Discuss Election Transparency with Observers

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov said on Thursday that transparent elections had been a priority for the government from the outset, as he met with election observers together with Caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev to discuss measures for ensuring a fair vote.

Gurov stressed the importance of transparency, dialogue with civil society and the observers’ experience with the electoral process, while the observers presented proposals for improving election transparency.

He said the government would take all necessary steps to ensure that the elections are held in line with the law and to counter violations. He also highlighted what he described as the Interior Ministry’s focused and consistent work on organizing the election process.

Quoting public discontent expressed at the end of last year, Gurov said the government was now trying to restore normality.

Dechev said observers would also be able to file alerts if they received information about election violations. He added that, one month before the vote, the Interior Ministry would open a hotline for citizens to report breaches of the Election Code and possible election-related crimes.

He said effective action against vote buying and vote selling would depend on immediate and precise work on every report received, which in his words was the way to guarantee transparent and fair elections.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Electronic Governance held a public random draw of candidates admitted to serve as experts in the teams that will certify the compliance of voting machines for the snap parliamentary elections on April 19.