Local Elections in Bulgaria: Students’ Attitudes

After three years of indecisiveness and several national elections, Bulgaria is now going to face local elections. On Oct. 29, Bulgarians will choose mayors and municipal councilors. AUBG students will return to their hometowns to exercise their right to vote.

“I will definitely vote in the upcoming local elections because I believe that we have not only the right but also the obligation to vote. By taking part in the democratic life of the country, you shape its future,” Yani Dimanchev, a third-year student, said.

Not only for Yani but also for other AUBG students, the right to vote goes hand-in-hand with obligation and responsibility.

“I am planning to vote because I think it is my personal responsibility as a member of my municipality,” Mihail Varnaliev, a second-year student, said. 

“I believe that every vote counts and it's my civil duty to participate in the democratic process,” Alexander Naydenov, a first-year student, said.

“I plan on voting because it’s my responsibility to do so,” Samuil Mladenov, a second-year student, said.

“I am planning to vote in the upcoming local elections because I believe that it is our civil duty to vote in elections and to improve the democratic processes in our country by one vote at a time,” said Miroslav Yordanov, a fourth-year student.

Some AUBG students even expressed their understanding that voting can create desired change.

“If a person wants a change or wants to keep something good, they must vote. That’s part of being an active citizen,” Samuil said.

“I recognize that my vote can make a difference in shaping the future of my community and country,” Alexander said.

“If we want a change, we have to show our opinion and participate actively in the vote,” another first-year student said.

“The election, even though it is local, is still important and makes a difference in our daily lives, as the mayors can have quite a big impact on the places where we live,” Miroslav said.

“I will vote because every vote matters,” Alek Mihaylov, a first-year student, said.

“I am going to vote because I want to have a say in the future of my country. My vote is my voice, and now is the moment for all of us to be heard, rather than complaining later over decisions made by others. Participating in the democratic process is essential for building a democratic society,” Diana Materova, a fourth-year student, said.

Others defined voting as a family tradition. “I will be voting in the upcoming elections. It has been a tradition in my family to go vote together in all elections since I was born. I was raised to believe that I should use my vote,” Maria Cholakova, a fourth-year student, said.

AUBG students see a difference between the local and national elections’ turnouts.

“I think more people tend to vote in local elections compared to national ones. First, local issues often have a more immediate impact on people's daily lives, so they may feel a stronger connection to those issues. Also, they might believe that their individual votes have a more significant impact on local elections due to smaller voter populations and more direct representation, which can encourage higher turnout at the local level,” Alexander said.

“More people vote in local elections because, unfortunately, for most of the electorate, voting is a matter of supporting their local relative/person who they know, and in local elections, that is usually the case more often than not, while for presidential or parliamentary elections, it is not as widely spread,” Miroslav said.

“I feel like based on the national elections, people make up their minds on whether or not it's worth it to vote in the local ones. There is a big distrust in democracy at the moment, and sometimes, on a larger scale, people feel more helpless. ‘Local’, in a way, means community, and the need to be comfortable within your close circle is bigger than the national one,” Maria said.

“Local elections are always really important because the local authorities are a lot closer to the ‘ordinary’ citizens, and the work of the local authorities is a lot easier to be judged. That is one of the reasons why, usually, more people vote in local elections. Another reason for a higher turnout might be that, historically, we have fewer local elections than national elections, as the national government resigns a lot more frequently than mayors do. So, local elections seem a lot more decisive,” Yani said.

“People are usually more engaged with local elections because they feel more connected to the candidates and their platforms. They can see the direct impact of local governance and policies on their daily lives, motivating more participation. However, we should not forget that national elections are crucial for the direction of the entire country, including the regional development of municipalities, so we have to make sure we participate in both,” Diana said.

For the interviewees, it is important that young people understand the importance of their vote. According to them, the educational system and the government are responsible for raising awareness, thus making more young people vote.

“In short, most of them don't see a point in voting because of the lack of progress and because they haven't been taught how important it is in the educational system—basically,  a total lack of proper civic education,” Miroslav said.

“Some young people don’t vote because they find it pointless; they think their vote won’t change anything. This is a completely wrong perception, which can be extremely dangerous because it harms the democratic life of the country. In this way, extremist parties can gain political advantage because of the lower turnout. To counter this, the government should do a better job at explaining the importance of casting your vote and should step up the informational campaign,” Yani said.