Bulgarian citizens in Turkey will vote at 126 stations for elections

ANKARA

Bulgarian citizens in Turkey will be able to vote both for Bulgarian parliamentary elections and presidential elections, which will be held on Nov. 14, at 126 polling stations in 19 Turkish cities, according to information obtained from sources. 

For Bulgarian citizens living in Turkey, Bulgaria will establish ballot boxes in some districts of the provinces of Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Antalya, Adana, Aydın, Bilecik, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Eskişehir, Mersin, Sakarya, Edirne, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, Manisa, Yalova and Kocaeli.

The necessary measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be taken by Turkish authorities in coordination with Bulgaria’s diplomatic missions in Turkey. 

Bulgarians will vote both for president and a new national assembly, after general elections in April and in July failed to produce a government.

Incumbent President Rumen Radev seems to have a strong chance of being re-elected although he faces 23 challengers, including a turbo-folk singer.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which was established at the beginning of the democratization process in Bulgaria and whose members are mostly Turks, is also putting forward its leader, Mustafa Karadaya, as a presidential candidate although his support will likely reflect that of the party, around 10 percent.

Turkey is home to the largest number of Bulgarian citizens of Turkish descent. It is estimated that there are 350,000 expatriate residents in Turkey, and they could be capable of influencing Bulgarian domestic politics.