An in house MOVE.BG discussion was held on the 30th of January on “Who are the Bulgarian Voters and how do they Vote.” Guests on the topic are Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, professor of electoral systems and procedures at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Rumiana Buchvarova, sociologist from “Market Links.” The moderator for the discussion is Hristo Ivanov from the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives. The Profile for the Bulgarian Voter, the function of the referendum and why People don’t vote are just some of the issues involved in the discussion.
During the discussion the Bulgarian voters adopted the nickname “The forest keeper” and we’re afraid that exactly them, “the forest keepers” became one of the main issues. How can we get to elections in our country? Are they alive these ‘dead’ people from the voters’ list and what risks are hiding in electronic voting? Let’s see.
| Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov:
“The stakes are high at the elections. The elections are seen as the coming of the “forest keeper.”
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| Rumiana Buchvarova:
“Bulgarian voters are different, they are rationally oriented.”
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Move.BG discussion: "Who is the Bulgarian voter and how did he vote?"
Discussion Summary:
The initiative of the President is good and enables citizens to express their views on the most important issues expressed Buchvarova. As a sociologist she sees a problem not only in how we vote, but also in how we will arrive at the elections. Skeptical about the potential of the majority vote in the country she said, “Until now we have not had a true majority vote.” Buchvarova believes that it is more important to make the party a viable organization, than to administer a process that for voters ends with the release of a newsletter. In response to a question from the audience, the sociologist revealed that 5% of the voters in our country have never voted nor do they intend to.
With a defined stake in the elections, Prof. Dimitrov analyzes the action of President Plevneliev initiating a referendum as ‘a good opportunity to resume the debate in society.’ The Alma Mater professor doubted that voters recognize the position of the parties on the referendum, and that their head of state had hurriedly chosen its considerations. Prof. Dimitrov raised the issue of ‘dead souls’ on the voter lists, the risks of electronic voting has and a definite view towards the elections as ‘the coming of the forest keeper.’
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