Bulgarians in New Zealand vote with hope

The first to exercise their right to vote were our compatriots in New Zealand, where, due to the time difference, election day began at 10:00 p.m. Bulgarian time on April 18. And while in 2024 there was only one polling station open in the island country, in today’s election day voters are also served by another polling station - in the second-largest city, Christchurch.

“For us it was a great joy that we managed to collect the 42 required registrations to be able to open a polling station in the city, and we have additional people who travel many kilometers to vote here,” said exclusively for Radio Bulgaria Svetoslava Alexieva Bryant, chair of the sectional election commission.

Two hours before the end of election day at the polling station in Christchurch, more than 20 Bulgarian citizens had voted, which, according to Alexieva, is a success, and the common factor in their choice is hope. Many of the voters were not registered in advance but came to vote, filling out the necessary documents at the polling station:

 “Hope for change for the better. We see that there is great willingness among people to vote, despite the fact that for some the journey is a challenge and with rising fuel prices it is difficult. We are the only polling station on the South Island of New Zealand, which is a territory slightly larger than the territory of Bulgaria. Geographically it is a long and narrow island, and we are located in the middle, and there are many people who may be south of us or north of us who, due to distance, have not been able to come.”

Our compatriot is categorical that, despite the thousands of kilometers from the homeland, Bulgarians in New Zealand follow social media and make an informed choice today.

 “It seems that before the elections there were many actions that took place and were positively assessed by many people, including myself. This seems to give people hope that we may find a way forward. Personally, I am impressed by the high level of activity of the Ministry of Interior, ministers, the Prime Minister, the police - how everyone was engaged in the idea of ensuring fair elections. Elections that are not bought, in which everyone has the right to freely express their vote. And this is being discussed here, abroad. Information is no longer localized, it is not territorially locked within Bulgaria, meaning it is freely accessible to every point in the world. So I do not see any difficulties for myself in finding information. Of course, everyone must decide for themselves which sources to trust, but there is no lack of information.”

And the hope for a better future for Bulgaria today is also connected with the hope for a possible personal choice tomorrow.

“Even though I have been outside Bulgaria for a long time, I always have a feeling that it is not forever, that I will return to Bulgaria one day. And I hope that I can return to a Bulgaria that is well organized, in which I do not fear for the safety of my family, in which I know that things happen according to the rules, as in normal democracies, and I believe that Bulgaria can manage and become such a country,” says Svetoslava Alexieva.

Edited by E. Karkalanova