Bulgarian citizens in five neighbouring countries will be able to vote in a total of 64 voting sections in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, compared to 201 in the previous elections held on 27 October 2024. The reduced number reflects amendments to the Election Code adopted by Parliament earlier this year, limiting to 20 the number of sections outside Bulgaria’s diplomatic and consular missions in non-EU countries.
Among neighbouring countries, only Turkiye is affected, with the number of voting sections dropping from 168 in the previous elections to 27 now. In Serbia, five sections have been opened for the current vote, one more than in October 2024. In the Republic of North Macedonia and Romania, the number remains unchanged at five and one respectively, while in Greece there are 26 sections in total, three more than at the previous elections.
Overall, 493 voting sections have been opened in 55 countries abroad for today’s parliamentary elections, the eighth vote since 2021. By comparison, 719 sections were opened in 57 countries in the October 27, 2024 elections.
Turkiye
Bulgarian citizens in Turkiye will be able to vote in 27 voting sections, down from 168 at the end of 2024.
In the capital Ankara, there are three sections, all located at the Bulgarian Embassy. In Istanbul, the largest city, there are seven sections, two of them at the Consulate General and the rest in districts with compact populations of Bulgarian emigrants: Avcilar, Bayrampasa, Bahcelievler and Esenyurt. There are also seven sections in Bursa, another city with a large population of Bulgarian citizens.
According to the Central Election Commission, more than 15,000 applications have been submitted in Turkiye for the April 19 vote, with the highest numbers from the Istanbul and Bursa regions. By this indicator, Turkiye ranks first among Bulgarian voters abroad.
According to expatriate organizations, more than 250,000 people in the Istanbul and Bursa regions are eligible to vote in Bulgarian elections. In the October 2024 elections, 13,517 people voted in Istanbul and 13,843 in Bursa, according to the Central Election Commission.
Bulgaria’s Consul General in Istanbul, Vassil Valchev, said all necessary measures had been taken to ensure the smooth conduct of election day.
The section with the highest number of registered voters is located in the town of Corlu, Tekirdag Province, in the Seyh Sinan neighbourhood, with 1,730 voters on the list.
Greece
Bulgarian citizens can vote in 26 voting sections in Greece on Sunday.
In Athens, there are four sections, two of them at the Embassy building. A total of 209 voters have registered to vote in the Greek capital. There is also one section at the Consulate General in Thessaloniki, where 87 applications have been submitted.
Single sections have been opened in Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Kalamata, Komotini, Nafplio, Nea Moudania, Nea Peramos, Nikiti, Patras, Stavros, and on the islands of Corfu, Kos, Lefkada, Mykonos, Rhodes and Thasos. Five sections have been opened on the island of Crete.
Republic of North Macedonia
Bulgarian citizens can vote at five locations in North Macedonia in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections. In addition to the Embassy in Skopje and the Consulate General in Bitola, sections have been opened in Ohrid, Strumica and Prilep.
A total of 210 applications have been submitted for voting in North Macedonia, with the highest number in Strumica, 62. By comparison, 26 applications were submitted for the October 2024 elections, 120 for the June 2024 vote, 163 for April 2022, and 181 for October 2022.
Serbia
Five voting sections have been opened in Serbia for Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections. In addition to the Embassy in Belgrade and the Consulate General in Nis, sections are available in Tsaribrod, Bosilegrad and the village of Zvonce. The section in Zvonce is newly opened and has symbolic significance, as a compact Bulgarian population lives there and in the five nearby settlements.
A total of 328 people in Serbia have submitted applications to vote: 47 at the Embassy in Belgrade, 62 in Bosilegrad, 52 in Zvonce, 10 at the Consulate General in Nis, five in Novi Sad, and the largest number, 152, in Tsaribrod.
Machine voting will be available in Tsaribrod, while paper ballots will be used in all other sections.
The Bulgarian mission in Belgrade reminded citizens that those who have not submitted prior applications can still vote on election day by presenting a valid identity document and completing a declaration on site.
Romania
Bulgarian citizens will be able to vote in a single voting section in Romania, located at the Bulgarian Embassy in Bucharest. Voting will be conducted using paper ballots only, without machines.
A total of 70 people have submitted applications to vote – 34 women and 36 men – according to data published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Citizens who have not registered in advance can still vote by completing a declaration at the section.
Usually, around 200 people vote at the Bucharest section. An exception was the snap parliamentary elections in October 2022, when a commercial flight carrying more than 100 Bulgarian citizens was diverted to the Romanian capital, allowing them to exercise their voting rights at the Embassy.