Bulgarian citizens of Turkish descent and those residing in Türkiye will cast their votes at 168 ballot boxes on Oct. 27, in the seventh early election in the past three years.
Dual citizens look forward to having a sense of stability in the country neighboring Türkiye after lengthy political turmoil after the vote.
Dr. Bayram Çolakoğlu, honorary chair of an association founded by Bulgarian citizens of Turkish descent during the era of repression in the former communist country, complains governments in the country lasted less than six months in the last three years. The abundance of small parties with an uncompromising approach toward a coalition government poses a challenge to Bulgarian politics.
Çolakoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA) this week that citizens are “fed up” with the frequency of the elections and the attitude of the parties. “This reflects itself on the declining turnout at the elections. We see this as well among dual Bulgarian Turkish citizens,” he said. He gives the example of a 30% drop in the number of online applications for setting up ballot boxes abroad. “We will have 168 ballot boxes here, and it is a large number. This might encourage voting, but people are not motivated enough. As long as we have this mindset that believes nothing will change (in Bulgarian politics), the turnout will remain low,” he says.
According to Çolakoğlu, there are about 250,000 Bulgarian Turkish dual citizens eligible for voting in Türkiye, but “turnout has never been as high as this number.” “We saw the highest turnout in 2009 when about 90,000 people voted. In another instance, when Mustafa Karadayı (a presidential candidate of Turkish descent) ran, we reached the number of about 60,000 votes. But the turnout declined again,” he says.
At least seven parties are expected to win seats in Parliament, and Çolakoğlu says they do not harbor high hopes for a stable government after the elections. He reiterated former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s proposal for a switch to a presidential system, something “not debated much.” “If this election causes another instability, this will be up for debate again,” he said.
“At this point, it does not matter who forms the government. Our priority is having a lasting government. This is what Bulgarian people likely want and what dual citizens here desire,” Çolakoğlu stated.
Erdinç Bilaloğlu, head of an association of Balkan immigrants, points out a 4% election threshold and the fact that at least six parties can surpass this threshold, paving the way for inevitable coalition governments. “We hope Bulgaria will regain its stability as soon as possible, and this will be the last election. Then, we can have a collective sigh of relief,” he told AA. Bilaloğlu said the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, widely supported by Turks and Muslims in Bulgaria, is divided due to internal strife. “We wish there would be (one party) uniting all Turks in Bulgaria, but it already happened. We now hope common sense will prevail in the elections,” he said.
