Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Filli Ladgman from Australia: It is high time to end this vicious circle and the apathy!

Filli Ladgman is the executive director of the Bulgarian section of the Australian public radio SBS.
Photo: Personal archive

"I would hardly say anything different from what all Bulgarians around the world hope will happen after this election. First and foremost we wish that it will be the last one, i.e. that it will lead to a stable government and put an end to this vicious circle of one election after another," Filli Ladgman , executive director of the Bulgarian section of the Australian public radio SBS, which has a 46-year history and a large audience on the continent, told Radio Bulgaria. The journalist commented on the election fatigue among Bulgarians. "We vote 5 times in two years. This is getting the country and its people nowhere. It creates a deadlock and a sense of hopelessness." According to her, the situation the day after the vote was absolutely unpredictable:

"It's hard to predict what's happening right now. Either way, things are in a limbo - we don't know what direction our ship of state will be heading. And this is very critical because the turn that will be made will determine where Bulgaria will go. It is not only a question of stability in terms of our economy, but also stability in political and geopolitical terms."

One of the main topics in this election campaign was Bulgaria's Euro-Atlantic position in the conditions of a raging military conflict. Debates about European solidarity, whether we should support Ukraine with arms and who is to blame for the war have heated up passions to the limit, becoming yet another reason for division in society. What position will the new government take? "We know that there is a very high probability that the country will turn to Russia again. But it could just as well remain an absolutely loyal and active member of the EU. It is very difficult to predict where Bulgaria will turn after yesterday's election," says Filli Ladgman .

What are her expectations after the vote?

"My expectations as a Bulgarian abroad are that Bulgaria will remain in the EU, that it will find a way to stabilise its economy and will find a way to comply with the EU criteria for curbing corruption, for carrying out a good reform in the economy, in the pension system and in everything that makes people's lives easier and happier."

What is stopping us, Bulgarians, from electing a normal parliament that will form a working government capable of leading the country out of the impasse?

"What we lack and what hinders us the most is the lack of active citizenship. There is apathy in society, there is indifference, there is despair! All this kills civic activism. Because a strong engagement in society will lead to elections in which people really say what they want and who they want to govern them. Unfortunately, this low turnout is the reason that parliament is filled with people who are not interested in the progress of the country, but in their personal interests. And that is where the problem comes from," concludes Filli Ladgman.


English version: Elizabeth Radkova




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Dr. Lyuba Atanasova

Lyuba Atanasova has been teaching Bulgarian to Chinese students for 13 years

“Learn with an open mind; Serve a great cause” - this is the motto that guides the Beijing Foreign Studies University in the Chinese capital. The higher education institution, founded in 1941, today teaches 101 foreign languages,..

published on 8/20/25 8:38 PM

Interest in Bulgarian universities is growing among Bulgarians from Ukraine, Moldova and North Macedonia

Young people of Bulgarian descent living abroad continue to show sustained interest in enrolling at Bulgarian universities under Decree No. 103 of the Council of Ministers, issued in 1993. The decree provides preferential conditions for our compatriots..

published on 8/19/25 11:34 AM

More and more young people from the Bulgarian diasporas around the world want to study in Bulgaria

The interest among young people of Bulgarian origin from abroad in studying at Bulgarian higher education institutions is growing. Among those who have enrolled for the upcoming academic year, the largest number are those from Ukraine, Moldova, North..

published on 8/18/25 5:23 PM