Exceptionally high voter turnout among Bulgarians in Kraków, Poland

The election process in one of the two polling stations opened in Poland - the one in Kraków - is proceeding smoothly and with very high turnout. As of 1:30 p.m. local time, 114 people had exercised their right to vote there, compared to 77 votes in October 2024. “This is a record for us,” Kristiyana Naneva, chair of the sectional election commission in the Polish city, told Radio Bulgaria.

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“We have had a polling station here for eight years now, and I can honestly say that this is the first time we have had so many voters. One of the reasons is that there are currently direct flights from Sofia to Kraków, and we see that many people are here on holiday but have taken the time to come and vote today. In addition, there are many young people, students who are here under the European exchange Erasmus Programme, who have also made time today to exercise their right to vote.”

Hope for a better future is shared by everyone, Kristiyana says, although there is no clear answer to what exactly needs to change to achieve it. She is certain of one thing:

“I think what needs to happen is change. Everything that has been happening so far clearly does not work. So, a complete change in the model of governance. People need this, and it motivates them today to go out and vote.”

People there are also motivated by events from a week ago - the election results in Hungary.

“Yes, definitely. Several times here I heard voters say - come on, let’s ‘beat’ Hungary, meaning to have even higher turnout today. This certainly motivates them.”

As for tomorrow’s newly elected members of parliament, the young Bulgarian woman has just one message:

“People have trusted you and expect change!”

Whether these words will be heard remains to be seen.

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Edited by E. Karkalanova

English: R. Petkova