Estela Encheva from Munich: We are voting with sceptical hope

There are nearly 420,000 Bulgarians living in Germany, and Munich is home to one of the country's largest Bulgarian communities. According to the city's official statistics office, more than 14,500 Bulgarians live and work in Munich.

By early afternoon on Sunday, around 550 people had cast their ballots at one of the three polling stations outside Bulgaria's Consulate General in Munich, our compatriot Estela Encheva told Radio Bulgaria in an interview. Voters were heading to the polls with a range of emotions:

“Some are quite desperate, but still hope that things will change. The prevailing emotion is one of sceptical hope for change. Many people are also angry, probably because of the situation in Bulgaria, but this sense of sceptical hope is what dominates overall.”

Encheva is studying law and has been living in Munich for nearly seven years. Her time in Germany has changed the way she sees Bulgaria:

“I came to Germany when I was very young. I had not even finished school, and when I moved here, I had a somewhat idealistic feeling about and view of the place I was going to. Once I arrived, I realised that both Bulgaria and Germany have their advantages and disadvantages, which made me look at things more realistically. Back then, I seemed to have greater hope that something would change in Bulgaria in the near future. Now, after all these years, although I still want change, I do not know whether it will happen.”

For Estela, it is important that the president stands by their principles, brings people together and safeguards Bulgaria's international standing.

“It is also important to me that the president respects international law and insists that our country abide by it, as well as bringing the people together. We live in a time when society is so divided that it is almost impossible to unite it through political measures.”

Last but not least, the president must also act as a check on those in power, our compatriot insists.

Read also:

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Vladimir Perev from Skopje: A campaign is needed for votersin North Macedonia

Returnee from Czechia: Apathy on election day is surprising

English: R. Petkova