Türkiye is preparing to set up 162 voting stations across 20 provinces in the country to allow Bulgarian dual citizens cast their ballots in Bulgaria's upcoming elections on April 2.
After failing to form a government in four past elections, held in April, July, November 2021 and October 2022, the country has called for a fifth and snap election next month, Cevat Güneş, the head of the Culture and Solidarity Association for Thrace and Balkan Turks (BAK-TÜRK), told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Wednesday.
"Our objective is that Turks in Bulgaria have better living conditions and a higher standard of living. We want a stable government in place to develop relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria," he said.
Nearly 20 parties are participating in the elections in Bulgaria under various small coalitions like in the past but a government could not be formed because the parties could not get enough deputies, Güneş explained.
"We have more than 300,000 of our dual citizens and compatriots living in Türkiye who can vote in the Bulgarian elections. However, we see that our compatriots voted in the band of 60,000-90,000 in the last elections," he said.
The votes of the Bulgarians in Türkiye hold critical sway in order to end the political uncertainty in the country and Balkan culture associations in Türkiye’s Kocaeli and Sakarya provinces have been urging fellow Bulgarians to help achieve a steep turnout.
Günay Uzun, the chairperson of BAL-TÜRK, also assured the association would provide the necessary support to contribute to Bulgaria’s democracy in procedures like setting up ballot boxes, logistics, greeting officials, and the voting process itself.
“This election is vital for Türkiye, as well due to our long-standing neighborly relations, being NATO allies, and Bulgaria serving as a gateway to the European Union,” Uzun added.
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) is important in order to champion the rights of Turks in Bulgaria, he further argued. “I believe the party will play a key role in terms of defending the rights of our fellow Turks in Bulgaria and helping bring stability to the country.”
The electoral marathon of the past two years has been “exhausting” for Bulgarian people, Uzun noted and emphasized the importance of establishing a government “as soon as possible.”
“The MRF is key for this. We believe the party’s partnership with the government will help develop Bulgarian democracy,” he said.
Stressing that people “should not fall into electoral frustration,” Uzun argued: “Bulgaria is considered an unstable country both in Europe and around the globe. It cannot move ahead with investments. It must progress with the governments elected by the people.”
Erdinç Bilaloğlu, the head of the Culture and Solidarity Association for Sakarya Balkan Migrants, too highlighted the importance of Bulgaria’s representation at the European Parliament for Türkiye.
Bilaloğlu said the surge in the number of MRF lawmakers since 2021 – 36 deputies in the last elections and 34 in the one before that – was “valuable” for earning and protecting minority rights in Bulgaria.
“We wholeheartedly want our citizens living in Türkiye to do the necessary thing for the rights of their fellow Bulgarians,” Uzun noted, wishing success for the Turkish candidates running from other parties.
Pointing out that dual citizens in Türkiye could show their solidarity by voting on April 2, Bilaloğlu said: “No one should look down on elections. Even the smallest trouble in neighboring countries affects us. Therefore, it is our sincere wish that instability ends, an agreement is achieved with parties who are unable to garner enough deputies to form a coalition government and that the government takes accurate decisions and successfully operates.”
Bulgaria has the largest Muslim population of Turkish descent outside of Türkiye and yet the Turkish minority in the country views their representation in the Balkan country’s politics as insufficient. They are also more vocal in their demand for equal opportunities in state jobs as the community finds itself the target of both far-right and left-wing parties ahead of April 2.
MRF Chairperson Mustafa Karadayı is expected to be among the bigwigs in Parliament. He was previously nominated to run for president and came third in the first round with 11.5% of the votes.
Over 6.6 million citizens are registered to vote at 13,200 polling stations in Bulgaria and 750 centers in 67 other countries.
