Irena Angelova, Czech Republic: Bulgarians in towns far from Prague could not vote again

The authorities need to pay attention to industry in Bulgaria - there are no factories and the problem is very visible, especially in smaller towns, says our compatriot

published on 10/27/24 7:40 PM

Author: Gergana Mancheva

Прага

Photo: Reuters

The lives of Bulgarians in the Czech Republic are too busy. Most of them work in different factories, in shifts, and are tired and unwilling to travel to the capital on a Sunday to vote. This is how Irena Angelova from Mladá Boleslav in the Czech Republic explains the low turnout today. She managed to cast her ballot in the morning hours and says that by midday there were only about 400 voters in the three polling stations opened at the Embassy in Prague.

"Many Bulgarians in the Czech Republic registered according to their place of residence and expected that there would be polling stations in every town, as there were during the pandemic," Irena Angelova told Radio Bulgaria:

"The Czech authorities have agreed that there will only be polling stations at our embassy in Prague, but not elsewhere. I find that quite strange.

In all other countries they allow many sections, but not in this country. So many Bulgarians who live in more remote places cannot vote again because not all of them have a car and enough free time. Besides, Bulgarians here are apathetic about elections, they are tired of voting".

"Special attention needs to be paid to industry in Bulgaria," says Angelova. She can see that many of her compatriots in the Czech Republic would like to return home, but are afraid of being unemployed. "There are no factories in Bulgaria and the problem is very visible, especially in the smaller towns."

"Today we were discussing this with other Bulgarians outside the polling station in Prague - there are no jobs even in towns like Pleven, Varna, Vidin, Plovdiv, Blagoevgrad. This is strange to me, and perhaps the process began after the events of 1989.

It is true that there are professions that are very well paid, but in trade, in tailoring and in many of the blue-collar jobs, people barely earn the minimum wage. Now they want to vote in Parliament to raise the minimum wage in Bulgaria to about 1070 BGN (547 euros), while in the Czech Republic the minimum wage is 18,000 crowns, which is almost 1400 BGN (716 euros). There are a lot of industries in the Czech Republic and there is a shortage of labour. So many Bulgarians, Slovaks and Poles come here to work. But the work is hard and people get sick easily. The Bulgarians want to go home to their country."

"We need to find a solution to the long political crisis in Bulgaria, to form some kind of coalition so that things can move forward," our compatriot said in conclusion.

Photos: Reuters, Personal archive

Translated and posted by Elizabeth Radkova

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