Bulgarians in Birmingham believe the President should serve the public interest

Election day is proceeding calmly at the only polling station in Birmingham, reports Mariyana Landzhova, a member of the local election commission.

“Throughout history, it has always been the national enlighteners who have contributed to the country’s prosperity. That is why we hope that today we will elect a president who has the Bulgarian people’s best interests at heart,” our compatriot in the UK told Radio Bulgaria. She believes that exercising one’s civic right to vote is one of the ways of bringing Bulgarians abroad together, alongside Bulgarian schools, churches and associations.

Bulgarians abroad are already voting in presidential runoff

“Unfortunately, voter turnout is very low today. I attribute this to the fact that a considerable number of polling stations have been opened across the UK, 82 in total, and voters have been spread across towns and cities throughout England,” Mariyana Landzhova added.

By early afternoon, turnout at the only polling station in Birmingham was lower than in the first round, when 142 Bulgarian citizens cast their ballots there.

“Traditionally, around 300-400 people vote at our polling station, whereas in the previous elections the number was between 900 and 1,000. This was due to the provisions of the Electoral Code in force at the time, under which no more than 20 polling stations could be opened in countries outside the EU. As a result, people had to travel long distances to exercise their right to vote,” Landzhova explains.

Mariyana, like many of our compatriots, hopes to see the following changes in Bulgaria over the next five years:

“Our expectations of the president are that he should present a positive image of Bulgaria to the world and safeguard people’s interests by making sound decisions. He should be able to put forward the right arguments whenever the need arises to defend the interests of the nation. It is important that every action and decision he takes be guided by the interests of the people! Because we, Bulgarians living abroad, are the ones who want to return to the place where our roots lie.”

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