According to Article 181 (2), “[t]he election campaign shall be conducted in the Bulgarian language”. Recognising the importance of official language, this provision may deprive some people belonging to minorities of the opportunity to effectively participate in public affairs through electoral processes. Such restrictions to freedom of expression pursuant to Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and other international standards are disproportionate and should be reconsidered. The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission therefore reiterate their recommendation in the 2011 and 2014 joint opinions to review this provision to allow national minorities to campaign in their minority languages. As stated in the 2011 Joint Opinion, “it is essential that persons belonging to minorities be provided voter information and other official election materials in their languages. This would enhance the understanding of the electoral process for all communities”. The OSCE/ODIHR and PACE also raised this concern in election observation reports for the May 2013 and October 2014 early parliamentary elections and recommended respective changes.