In BNR’s evening election broadcast, Kalin Slavov, Executive Director of Transparency International Bulgaria, and Vanya Nusheva discussed voter turnout and the reasons behind it.
“If we use football terminology, these elections are the qualifiers. Everyone knew there would be a second round, which is partly a consequence of the quality of the electoral rolls. This is a preliminary qualifying match, so perhaps it does not generate much interest. We should expect higher turnout when the real political contest takes place. Hopefully, during the week between the two rounds, we will see a debate between the candidates, hear some good ideas, and be presented with a vision for the future, something the country currently lacks,” Kalin Slavov said.
How do political alignments and public sentiment influence voters’ motivation?
Kalin Slavov: I very much hope that, when discussing what motivates voters, we do not reduce the issue solely to the sudden appearance of a so-called “black swan” on the eve of an election or even on election day itself, as we have seen happen before.
It is important for citizens to remember that the authority to govern the country derives from them and that their relationship with political representatives does not end on election day. On the contrary, it must continue after the elections through various forms of civic engagement, public initiatives, proposals for legislative change, and participation in the development of institutional policies.
In this context, it is worth looking at developments in neighbouring Serbia, where we are witnessing an interesting process of civic self-organisation. The protest movement has been built by citizens organising themselves while maintaining their independence from traditional political parties. For more than a year, they have managed to mobilise public support, put forward their own representatives, and participate independently in the political process.
This has led to significantly greater civic participation. Of course, the electoral process there has also been accompanied by problems and reports of irregularities. Nevertheless, the mobilisation itself demonstrates something fundamental: people’s commitment to their own future and to the way their country is governed.
The disillusionment among citizens that we have discussed must not lead to a permanent withdrawal from public life. Last year, Bulgaria also witnessed a strong wave of civic engagement. We are now seeing a similar process in Serbia, where the traditional opposition has been severely constrained after a prolonged period of rule by a single political force. This shows that civic energy can find new forms of expression and political representation.
At the same time, however, there are localities where voter turnout is exceptionally low. In the village of Lyutovo, in Belitsa Municipality, for example, not a single voter had cast a ballot by 3:30 p.m.—not even the members of the Precinct Election Commission. Similarly low turnout was reported in other locations, including Sungurlare, where mayors had been arrested.
Kalin Slavov: We have consistently highlighted the risk of controlled voting in certain localities. However, the low turnout in these elections raises the question of whether people who have traditionally been caught in such patterns of dependency have stayed away from the electoral process this time.
Further analysis is needed to establish whether the measures taken against suspected organisers of controlled voting have influenced voter behaviour and to identify the reasons behind the observed lack of participation.
You can listen to the full interview on the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) website.