What do Bulgarians abroad expect from the country’s seventh president?

More trust in institutions and in one another, less division, fair institutions or simply a sense that the state cares for its people – these are some of the hopes for Bulgaria’s next president voiced by Bulgarians who have chosen to build their lives abroad. Thousands of them devoted hours of their day off to voting, to support their loved ones back home in their hopes for a better Bulgaria and to express their own concern for the country and their dreams for its future. Many of those who spoke to Radio Bulgaria on election day shared similar hopes for the next president.

“The president should be like an eagle watching over Bulgarians. People here have different political views too, but we want to see a successful country, institutions that work and sound foreign policy decisions. The president should defend the Bulgarian people and listen to what they have to say. There’s a lot to it, but we’re very worried that a law might be passed that takes away our right to vote,” says Svetlana Kaneva from London.

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“I sincerely hope the look of uncertainty in people’s eyes in Bulgaria will fade. I’ve seen that the state does function, but the anxiety among Bulgarians is plain to see. People must be both disheartened and tired of all the elections in recent years. I’m certainly worried about whether the country will continue on its path of development as part of the European Union. I don’t believe we’ll go backwards. I don’t want to see a return to how things used to be.”

Mancho Manev from Melbourne believes the president should lead the nation by example. He highlights healthcare, education and stemming Bulgaria’s brain drain as priorities for the seventh president’s term in office:

“Five years is enough to improve healthcare, where the system is overstretched and inefficient. There are challenges in the education system, and there’s the continuing brain drain from Bulgaria. Various initiatives are underway to bring successful Bulgarians back – perhaps that will help the country grow.”

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Vladimira Hristov from Sydney hopes to see greater faith and unity among Bulgarians in five years’ time:

“When I look back, I’d really like to see that, as Bulgarians and as a society, whether we live in Bulgaria or abroad, we have a little more faith and are even more united. I’ve lived in both England and Australia, and I love Bulgarians dearly, but I can see that sometimes this is missing – there’s a lack of trust, whether in the government or in other people. Personally, that has saddened me, and I always choose to believe that we can achieve more together, and that if we stick together and have a positive outlook, things can work better.”

For Milena Baeva, chair of the polling station committee in Kuwait, the president should put Bulgaria above everything else. In five years’ time, she wants to be able to say:

“I want to see that this was someone who stood up for Bulgaria’s interests.”

Her wish for Bulgaria’s seventh president is: “To be not a pragmatist who settles for the lesser evil, but an idealist who always aims for the best for Bulgaria!”

Krasimira Peycheva lives in Frankfurt, but cast her vote in Tenerife. She wants a president who is genuine, with all their strengths and flaws, who is honest, does not divide Bulgarians and stands up for the national interest. She dreams of a country she could return to.

“I want to see a Bulgaria that is less divided, less polarised, more peaceful and moving proudly forward in Europe. A Bulgaria with functioning, independent institutions that keep one another in check, with good education, and above all a Bulgaria I would want to return to and continue living and working in.”

Marinela Koleva from Kraków points out that the president should represent all Bulgarians, wherever they live.

“They need to be able to strike a balance. To represent the country with dignity before our international partners, but also to make sure that the voices of Bulgarians are heard – both those abroad and those in Bulgaria.”

Bilyana Mihaylova from Amsterdam highlights civic engagement and the trust Bulgarians abroad have placed in the next president:

“I sincerely hope the next president will keep the promises they’ve made and won’t let down the people who have put their faith in them. […] Perhaps some of us who are here because we’ve had little choice – young people, people like me – will be able to return, and Bulgaria will be a better place for us.”

Bulgarians abroad feel neither represented nor representative

Bulgarians abroad who take an active interest in public affairs follow events back home more closely and critically, says Hristina Karagueorgieva, who has lived in the Netherlands for years.

Living outside Bulgaria, she explains, gives them the distance to see things more clearly. She feels personally hurt by “the dehumanisation and cynicism of politicians in Bulgaria” – “first, the way Bulgarians abroad are portrayed as outsiders whose access to decision-making institutions should be restricted, and second, the idea that we are some kind of resource that has to solve Bulgaria’s problems – from the shortage of skilled workers to the demographic crisis”.

She calls for profound institutional change and a firm commitment to Bulgaria’s European path:

“Bulgaria desperately needs a complete rethink of its institutions and thoroughgoing reform. Only then could that hypothetical Bulgaria of ours – the one we would return to – become possible.”

She also has a specific message for the new president: to work to ensure that “pro-European young people do not leave the country”.

Their stories and the distances that separate them differ, but their message is the same: the president should inspire trust, listen to all Bulgarians and work for a country where they want to stay or return.

Read more: 

• Petya Konstantinova in Prague: Those who don't vote have completely lost hope
• How far away is Bulgaria when you choose its president?

Ediitor: Elena Karkalanova