Foreign Ministry: Around 200,000 Bulgarians Voted Abroad in the April 19 Snap Elections

Voting abroad in the April 19 early parliamentary elections has concluded amid high turnout, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on April 20.

According to the ministry, the largest number of polling stations operating with extended hours were in Turkey and the United Kingdom. Voting abroad ended at 6:00 a.m., with the final ballots cast in polling stations across several US states.

The Foreign Ministry said that, despite the high turnout, the voting process abroad had proceeded normally overall.

In Turkey, seven polling stations operated with extended hours, followed by five in the United Kingdom, two in Serbia, and one each in Spain and Norway.

Officials noted that the number of polling stations abroad this year was lower than in previous elections. Despite organisational measures aimed at ensuring that all Bulgarian citizens could exercise their right to vote, tensions were reported in some locations — particularly in countries outside the European Union, where around 20 polling stations were set up outside diplomatic and consular missions.

The ministry said that high turnout combined with a reduced number of polling stations had contributed to the difficulties. The allocation of polling stations in non-EU countries was based on prior declarations, the location of registered voters, and data from previous elections.

The Foreign Ministry also reported that 81% of voters abroad — around 156,000 people — registered at the last moment and filled in declarations on site without prior application, which further complicated planning.

For example, in North London only one polling station was opened, leading to crowding.

Caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky:
“People who want to vote, in order to make voting easier, if they had made an effort in advance — which is not even an effort, just a registration — everything would have gone much more smoothly.”

Ivan Naydenov, head of the Election Working Group at the Foreign Ministry, said:
“The Electoral Code is clear in this regard: the extension of election day can only be by one hour. That was done at this polling station. Unfortunately, some Bulgarians were left who did not manage to vote.”

According to the ministry, around 200,000 people cast their vote abroad in the snap parliamentary elections. Of these, 53,000 voted using machines.

Final results will be announced by the Central Election Commission.