The 5^th general election in this country in two years is over, and there will be six political formations entering the next 49^th National Assembly – the coalitions GERB\SDS, We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria, and the parties Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Vazrazhdane, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and There Is Such a People. Each of them earned the trust of some of the Bulgarians living outside the country, with some relying on their votes more heavily. Did the votes cast abroad bring any surprises and what? The answer from the interview Yanitsa Petkova from Gallup International Balkan polling agency gave for Radio Bulgaria:

• MRF is the undisputed winner among Bulgarians abroad

The fact that the Movement for Rights and Freedoms is the undisputed winner from the votes by Bulgarians abroad is not such a big surprise, as this time there were no newly emerging parties to attract their support, the analyst says and adds:

“It often happens that the new formations get the votes precisely of the Bulgarians abroad. We saw that happen when There Is Such a People appeared, and then We Continue the Change.”

The sustained upward trend in the votes for the nationalist Vazrazhdane, which we have been seeing these past few election cycles should be no surprise either, and there are several reasons for this:

“Multiple conditions arose enabling a party of this type to attract public interest – the pandemic, the war in Ukraine. All this enabled Vazrazhdane to develop a “niche” policy and the type of behavior that is against all systemic parties so as to skim off the so-called protest votes. It also managed to cover issues which attract public interest but which the other parties cannot afford to put on their agenda,” the sociologist says. “The fact that a large portion of our society feel unrepresented and that the political crisis in the country is dragging on and on have led to additional disillusionment and to a rise in these political issues which Vazrazhdane has been able to bring up.”

• The voices of the voters seem to be growing weaker and lonelier after election night

On election day Radio Bulgaria talked to a number of our compatriots abroad, and what emerged from their answers was a desire to see stability and compromise among politicians until a way out can be found from the political conundrum, something that can only be achieved by way of dialogue and serious compromises by the political formations represented in parliament.

• Bulgarian compatriots abroad: Bulgaria is the mother of all of us!

Yanitsa Petkova highlights the message voters conveyed by voting NOTA, “none of the above” – a little over 4%. The profile of these voters shows that they include people living in big cities with an interest in the political processes in the country who do not feel they are represented by any of the political parties.

“This support has been growing from election to election recently. On the one hand it was encouraged by the possibility of voting by machine only, but at these latest elections, when there was a choice of voting either by paper ballot or by machine, an additional increase was registered. This means that what we are seeing is a strategic vote in this direction,” Yanitsa Petkova explains. “Usually, when there is polarization and two disputing sides, a large portion of society is left somewhere in the middle, without taking either side. It is this phenomenon that has led to an increase in the number of people who marked “none of the above”. It is a way for them to express their protest vote and their distrust of the political parties which are not able to generate a stable form of government.”

• What Bulgarians want is action and a constructive thought for the future

Gallup International Balkan data on election day showed that around one-quarter of voters make up their minds which political force to vote for at the last minute. The number of these “impulsive” votes runs to a formidable 600,000, or thereabouts. The campaigns of the political parties were targeted primarily at their hardcore voters, Yanitsa Petkova says:

“From there on what decided the results of this election was whether the parties would be able to mobilize the people who are hesitant. But the conclusions that can be drawn are that the parties have not been able to convey messages to the broad public that are adequate enough. There was no substantive debate on key problems among the individual parties, so that too affected the decision by voters who to give their support to.”

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

Translated from the Bulgarian and posted by Milena Daynova

Photos courtesy of Yanitsa Petkova and BGNES