Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov and to the Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Kamelia Neykova regarding the preparation and conduct of the early parliamentary elections on 19 April.

25 February 2026

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva sent a letter to Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov and to the Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) Kamelia Neykova regarding the preparation and conduct of the early parliamentary elections on 19 April.

In it, the Ombudsman raises the issue of ensuring real and equal access to the electoral process for citizens in vulnerable situations, in particular people with disabilities, emphasising that, at present, not all the necessary conditions have been created for the full exercise of electoral rights in accordance with international standards for universal, equal, and secret voting.

 “Every citizen must be given the opportunity to cast their vote on election day and exercise their constitutional right. Moreover, according to the Electoral Code, voting is mandatory and represents the fulfillment of the voter’s civic duty,” Delcheva is adamant.

Among the problems identified are the lack of sign language interpretation for people with hearing impairments when difficulties arise with machine voting devices; the absence of a light signal when printing the control receipt, which creates a risk of their votes not being counted; the lack of official information in Braille and appropriate audio formats at polling stations, as well as the incomplete guarantee of voting secrecy for blind citizens due to the lack of adapted software on voting machines.

In this regard, the Ombudsman proposes that the CEC develop a standard for “accessible polling stations” and that specific actions be taken, including provisions in the Methodological Guidelines for the preparation of polling stations and buildings with the installation of audio players and Braille templates with a list of candidates and parties in designated sections for voters with visual impairments or mobility difficulties.

She also recommends providing online access to sign language interpreters on election day if necessary, setting up an organisation to inform people with hearing and visual impairments about the light and sound signals indicating successful voting, and introducing a free telephone line with information about the voting process.

Last but not least, the Ombudsman draws attention to the need for mechanisms to enable citizens who are subject to mandatory quarantine or isolation to exercise their voting rights.

In her recommendation, Velislava Delcheva also recalls the opinions of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 21 September 2018, according to which Bulgaria should ensure the accessibility of polling stations and information related to the voting process, including by providing materials in clear formats, such as Easy Read, and by providing the necessary financial and technical resources to improve physical accessibility.

On February 27, 2026, Deputy Public Defender of Georgia Irine Chikhladze and Head of the Gender Department Sophio Rusetski met with members of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).

GREVIO is an group of independent experts that monitors the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in member states and assesses both the progress achieved at the legislative and policy levels and the challenges in practice.

The purpose of the visit to Georgia is to comprehensively assess the situation of gender equality and prevention of violence against women and domestic violence in the country.

The meeting discussed the legislative and practical challenges in terms of prevention of violence against women and domestic violence, and the protection and empowerment of victims, as well as the issues of early/child marriage, including forced child marriage. Special attention was paid to the femicide monitoring mechanism.

The participants in the meeting agreed to continue active cooperation.

El Defensor del Pueblo Andaluz en funciones, Jesús Maeztu, ha reivindicado hoy los cuidados en el centro de las políticas públicas y ha subrayado que cuidar —en salud, dependencia, discapacidad, personas mayores y vulnerabilidad— “no es un añadido”, sino una condición básica para que la dignidad y los derechos sean reales y efectivos.

Maeztu ha realizado estas declaraciones durante su Conferencia Magistral en el Acto Académico Solemne con motivo de la festividad de San Juan de Dios, celebrado en el Salón de Grados de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud de la Universidad de Granada y presidido por el rector Pedro Mercado.

En su intervención, titulada La salvaguarda de los valores éticos y sociales por el Defensor del Pueblo Andaluz, Maeztu ha recordado que la defensa de los derechos sociales exige una Administración que actúe con diligencia, honestidad y respeto, evitando que los procedimientos se conviertan en barreras que expulsan a las personas del sistema de protección. En este sentido, ha reclamado una “escucha comprensiva” y una “respuesta empática” como rasgos irrenunciables de la buena administración, especialmente cuando está en juego el acceso a recursos de cuidados.

El Defensor ha vinculado el legado de San Juan de Dios con una idea esencial: el cuidado como trato digno, cercano y humano. Maeztu se ha dirigido a estudiantes y profesionales de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Terapia Ocupacional, para destacar que en los cuidados “importa tanto el qué como el cómo”, y ha apuntado que la excelencia técnica debe ir acompañada de un compromiso ético que ponga a la persona en el centro.

Maeztu ha advertido de que muchas de las quejas que recibe la Institución reflejan un mismo telón de fondo: la falta de recursos humanos y la saturación de los sistemas de atención, con consecuencias directas en el derecho a la salud, la atención a la dependencia y la protección de las personas mayores.

El Defensor andaluz ha señalado que el coste de la inacción o la demora no se mide en trámites, sino en deterioro, sufrimiento e incertidumbre para quienes esperan una valoración, una prestación o una atención que llega tarde. Para “poner rostro” a esa realidad, el Defensor ha compartido testimonios y casos representativos atendidos por la Defensoría, con especial énfasis en la necesidad de reforzar la coordinación sociosanitaria y de sostener políticas públicas que eviten que la fragilidad se convierta en exclusión.

La celebración de San Juan de Dios en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud se enmarca en un programa de actividades desarrollado del 2 al 5 de marzo, culminado hoy con el acto institucional.

Buckinghamshire brothers with special educational needs were left without the speech and language therapy they were legally entitled to for more than a year - because Buckinghamshire Council failed to make sure it was in place.

During an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman into the case, the Ombudsman found up to 400 other children were also potentially affected by delays.

In the siblings’ cases, one brother missed more than half the speech and language therapy, and almost all of the occupational therapy, which his Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan entitled him to between September 2023 and December 2024.

His brother also went without his speech and language therapy, and the council repeatedly delayed updating his plan, meaning his mother had no legal right to challenge the level of support he was getting.

The Ombudsman found the problems were partly due to the council's therapy provider ending its contract with a sub-contractor in early 2024 - potentially affecting nearly 400 children across Buckinghamshire.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council failed to properly consider the impact of withdrawing the contract, had no back-up plan, and failed to step in to ensure those children still got the help they were owed quickly enough.

Mrs Amerdeep Clarke, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

"These are not simply cases of two children falling between the cracks of an overstretched service. Instead the council made wholescale changes to the way it provided support without ensuring it could meet the needs of these children and many others.

“Buckinghamshire Council did not do enough when it identified clear warning signs that the therapy hundreds of children and young people needed could not be delivered at the agreed level.

“Every child with an EHC Plan has a legal entitlement to the support set out in it. This case highlights what can go wrong when councils do not exercise sufficient oversight of the services they commission.

“When a provider struggles to meet demand, it is the council's responsibility to step in - not to wait and hope the situation improves.

“I welcome Buckinghamshire Council's agreement to make the service improvements I have recommended, and I hope this report serves as a reminder to councils across the country of their duties to children with SEND.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the boys’ mother and pay a symbolic £1,000 to recognise what has gone wrong.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council has agreed to create a plan to show how it will address any shortfall in the needs of children and young people with EHC Plans whose needs are not currently being met through the therapy service.

It will also develop a protocol for cases where the therapy service cannot deliver provision in line with a child’s EHC plan.