Bulgaria will hold yet another election on April 19. The eighth vote in six years is crucial for the Turkish community in the Balkan country. Associations founded in Türkiye by the Bulgarian Turkish community with dual citizenship seek to promote voting among the community.
Şükrü Ar, chair of Balkan Turks Culture and Solidarity Association (BALTÜRK), told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they attached importance to voting for fair representation of Turks in the Bulgarian Parliament. Ar noted that turnout decreased in subsequent elections, as people were tired of having one after another since 2020. “The turnout dropped as low as 30%. None of the governments winning the elections managed to be lasting. Coalition governments collapsed repeatedly,” he lamented.
Ar said on Wednesday that Bulgaria also limited the number of ballot boxes for elections in countries outside the European Union, citing a recent amendment to electoral laws. He said people were still willing to vote.
"As BALTÜRK, we will be working intensely on that day, but we have already planned what needs to be done beforehand to encourage our people and get them to the polls. We will have shuttle services in coordination with our Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality,” he said, referring to the city where the association is based and host to a community with dual citizenship.
“We will hold one-on-one meetings. We will encourage voting. We will provide all kinds of assistance to our citizens. If necessary, we will transport them in personal vehicles. We will meet all their needs," he said.
Ar, noting that electronic voting is used in Bulgarian elections, said they would also provide assistance to voters for this process.
Touching upon the fact that most people have dozens or even hundreds of relatives still living in Bulgaria, Ar said: "Our relatives living there, and the Turkish and Muslim community living there, have acquired rights, and there are more rights that need to be acquired. The stronger we stand in Türkiye, and if we go to the ballot box to cast our vote without saying 'it’s just one vote,' our Turkish and Muslim community living in Bulgaria, who use their acquired rights and need to reclaim even more, will be stronger. They will feel our support better. Therefore, we must absolutely go to the polls."
Ragıp Çavuş, one of the dual citizens, stated that he has voted in all Bulgarian elections and noted that every single vote is important for both protecting existing rights in Bulgaria and gaining new ones.
