Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-11-14-Speech-1-136-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20111114.18.1-136-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, elections were held in Bulgaria to choose the country’s president and local government bodies. After years of difficult transition, the country’s fragile democracy is again at stake. Vote buying, vote control by the government, police methods, political pressure, the use of criminal elements to cause intimidation and ballot paper abuses – all of this became the hallmark of the electoral process.
There was unprecedented interference by the executive power. The interior minister took charge of the ruling party’s political headquarters. Almost half a million Bulgarian citizens were included in ‘banned lists’, depriving them of the right to vote. One of the greatest achievements of democracy has been violated – the right to free elections.
The elections are now being disputed by all the parties. For the first time since democratic changes have occurred in Bulgaria, the opposition wants the presidential elections to be annulled. The overwhelming view is that it won the elections, but lost the count.
Today, President Barroso called for a deepening of democracy as a guarantee of the European Union’s proper integration. If we do not halt the war on democracy today, xenophobia, populism and the violation of human rights will gain more, new ground tomorrow.
This is why we are still awaiting the assessment of the Electoral Commission in Bulgaria on the elections, where President Barroso and a number of Commissioners overtly showed their commitment to the ruling party."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples