Elections in Australia are proceeding normally, without any reported violations. However, voter turnout is lower as compared to the previous elections for MPs and Presidential elections. Bulgarians In New Zealand can vote only in the largest city, Auckland, as no polling stations were opened in the town of Christchurch. Bulgarians in Australia can vote in the five major cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and at the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Canberra. No polling stations were opened in Adelaide.

The presence of Bulgarians in Australia and in New Zealand is quite small, Mancho Manev, a member of the electoral commission in Melbourne, told Radio Bulgaria and added that we cannot compare ourselves with large communities like Macedonian or Greek ones. ''There are over 300,000 Greeks in Melbourne'', said Mancho Manev. One hour before the end of the election day in Melbourne (1 PM Bulgarian time), 80 people have cast their votes.

''There is election fatigue among the people here. You can hear remarks like ''Hopefully we will not see each other again in a few months for the same reason''. Most people are motivated to vote for a united and stronger Bulgaria. They hope for a positive outcome and the formation of a government, but time will tell", Mancho Manchev went on to say. In 2022, 135 people voted at this polling station, whereas in 2023, only 87 people cast their ballots there. Today, it is hard to expect a higher voter turnout, given that Monday is an official holiday in Australia, and many people have gone on short family vacations, said Mancho Manev. Despite the long distances, some of our compatriots travelled for more than two hours one way to get to the polls today.

"Today, we notice many young people who are exercising their right to vote in Australia for the first time, which gives us hope that this issue is being discussed among the younger generation and that they are interested in what is happening in Bulgaria."

The election of a new European Parliament is not topical among our compatriots in Australia. Considering the legal requirements for residency, only Bulgarian citizens permanently residing in the territory of the EU have the right to vote for the European Parliament. They can exercise this right at the polling station at the Bulgarian Embassy in Canberra.

''Only a few people asked if the elections for European Parliament are also held today. Most of them were not even informed and did not know about it", says Mancho Manchev, who hopes that after June 10, 2024, he will see a "united, strong, and forward-looking Bulgaria, a country of young people and innovations''.

Four hours before the end of the election day, voter turnout in Australia's third largest city, Brisbane, is also significantly lower than in previous parliamentary and presidential elections. "49 people have voted so far. Voter turnout is 20% lower as compared to previous elections", Kalina Bogdanova, deputy chairperson of the polling station in Brisbane, said an interview with Radio Bulgaria.

"People, especially those who have been living in Australia for many years, find it really difficult to follow all the political processes in Bulgaria. With a four-year election cycle, things are much easier and organized. However, when there are three, six or nine-month intervals between elections and you're busy with your life here, it's quite hard to even realize that there are elections in Bulgaria. In fact, a lot of people don't get that information. This is one of the reasons for the low voter turnout here. Another reason is that there is already a great deal of apathy. I suppose this also happens in Bulgaria. And in that sense the profile of voters here are on the one hand people who are firm believers of the meaning of democracy and see voting as their civic duty. The other group are Bulgarians who are here visiting friends, family and just want to exercise their right to vote. And of course, there are those of us who live in Australia, who are passionate about the idea of democracy", says Kalina.

She herself has lived in Australia for nearly ten years and today she is part of the Brisbane polling station for the fifth time.

"Frankly speaking, I truly believe that when a nation has fought for any human right, including the right to vote, it's really irresponsible to yourself and to your people to choose not to exercise that right. On the other hand, I believe that my very, very small contribution can make Bulgaria slightly better."

For Kalina Bogdanova, a better Bulgaria means a European, democratic and non-corrupt country. She hopes that the individuals that will be appointed to the future National Assembly will be erudites who will make decisions not under the pressure of their party leaders, but based on the idea of what kind of state they want to live in and, most importantly, what kind of state they want their future generations to live in. "Because every decision we make today has an impact on our future for decades to come", Kalina Bogdanova said.

Translated and published by Kosadin Atanasov