By noon, voter turnout among Bulgarians in Switzerland surpasses 2024 levels

High voter turnout is being reported by representatives of the Bulgarian community in Switzerland, where today Bulgarians can vote in 10 cities, with machine voting available in only two polling stations.

Election coordinators from the polling stations in Zurich and St. Gallen told Radio Bulgaria that by 1:30 p.m. local time, turnout had already reached the level recorded for the entire election day during the previous elections in October 2024. In the two polling stations in Zurich alone, a total of 750 Bulgarians had voted by noon.

In Switzerland, voter activity is observed not only among young Bulgarians studying there, but across all generations. The oldest voter this morning, for example in the polling station in Locarno, is 76 years old.

It is worth noting that more than 40,000 Bulgarians live in Switzerland, about half of them in the canton of Zurich.

A characteristic feature of the Bulgarian community in Switzerland is its high intellectual profile. More than 100 Bulgarian scientists work at the CERN in Geneva.

Machine voting preferred among Bulgarians in Geneva

The motto of these early parliamentary elections for Bulgarians in Switzerland is: “Bulgaria votes - you vote too! You are Bulgaria!”

A total of 11 polling stations have been opened across the country, including two in Zurich. There is one polling station each at the diplomatic missions in Bern and Geneva, while the others are located in Zug, Basel, Lausanne, Kreuzlingen, Lucerne, Locarno and St. Gallen.

An interesting detail is that Bulgarians from Northern Italy have chosen to vote in the polling station in Locarno, Switzerland, saying that this helps them avoid voter congestion in Milan, where a large number of Bulgarians also reside.

Polling stations in Switzerland, as well as abroad in general, are once again organized by representatives of the Bulgarian communities, with elections conducted by coordinators and volunteers from local communities.

Voting abroad: 493 polling stations in 55 countries

Compiled by Gergana Mancheva
Edited by E. Karkalanova
English: R. Petkova