Tue, Nov 03 2009

Bulgarian nationalists in border protests against ‘election tourism’

Sat, Jul 04 2009 16:25 CET 1859 Views 10 Comments
Bulgarian nationalists in border protests against ‘election tourism’

Yane Yanev, leader of the Order Law and Justice party.

Photo: Krassimir Yuskesseliev

Bulgarian nationalists in border protests against ‘election tourism’

Ataka leader Volen Siderov.

Photo: Anton Popov

Bulgarian nationalists in border protests against ‘election tourism’

A file photo of an earlier protest against 'election tourism'. The slogan translates as 'The Bulgarian Parliament is not elected in Turkey'.

Photo: Assen Tonev

Supporters of Bulgaria’s ultra-nationalist party Ataka and Yane Yanev’s rightist Order Law and Justice party staged separate protests at the country’s borders with Turkey on July 4 2009 in protest against Turkish citizens with Bulgarian passports coming in to the country to vote on the eve of the country’s national parliamentary elections.
 
"Election tourism" is a vexed issue among opponents of the practice, given that people arriving from Turkey overwhelmingly vote for Ahmed Dogan’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the party led and supported mainly by Bulgarians of ethnic Turkish descent.
 
In a July 3 report, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said that people from Turkey were arriving in groups in Kurdjali, in 20 buses, to get identification documents and passports to enable them to vote.
 
Queues at the passport office had started to build up from that morning, BNT. People interviewed on camera confirmed to BNT that they had come to the country to vote.
 
Asked why they were voting inside Bulgaria when there were voting stations in Turkey, people declined to answer.
 
Commentators have suggested that MRF supporters are being deployed in areas where their votes could boost majoritarian candidates. The 2009 elections for Bulgaria’s unicameral Parliament, the National Assembly, are on the basis of a mixed system of proportional representation and majoritarian voting.
 
BNT said that more than 100 000 people in the Kurdjali region had dual Turkish and Bulgarian citizenship.
 
At the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, more than 800 people blocked the road, Bulgarian news agency Focus said on July 4.
 
The OLJ press office said that the protest was against Turkish interference in Bulgarian domestic affairs.
 
The protest involved supporters of OLJ, the Macedonian People’s Revolution Organisation VMRO, Agrarian National Union, Bulgarian National Agrarian Union, European People’s Party, New Right Wing as well as civil organisations from the towns of Haskovo, Burgas, Ruse, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Kardzhali and Sliven have gathered at the rally.
 
The theme of the protest was "Stop Doganisation"
 
Protestors said government and Bulgarian institutions had deserted from defending national interests and thus citizens had to defend the country.
 
Despite OLJ had filled in application for peaceful rally police and gendarmerie presence have been stepped up in the area. They have been pushing people aside.
"Ministry of Interior services are put against Bulgarians to defend interest of a foreign country-Turkey," leader of VMRO and OLJ nominee for MP in the town of Ruse Krasimir Karakachanov said during the rally.
 
Earlier, the OLJ’s Dimitar Abadzhiev said that flights were being chartered to bring in MRF supporters from Turkey.
 
Ataka supporters gathered at both the Kapitan Andreevo and Lesovo border checkpoints, Focus said.
 
Sedan cars, minibuses and buses were crossing into Bulgaria from Turkey in a steady stream, with a large police presence on guard.
 
"The so-called Bulgarian police have defended sharply Turkish buses as they crossed the Bulgarian border. It is a shame for Bulgarian police to be used for defending Turkish voters," Ataka leader Volen Siderov said, quoted by Focus.
 
"Instead of allowing us to block the road we had to fight with them (the police). We do not want to fight with Bulgarian police but it has been used against Bulgarian patriots," Siderov said.
 
He said Ataka supporters’ presence at the border checkpoint had nothing to do with the actions of Order, Law and Justice.
 
Siderov said that the Turkish buses had been sponsored by Ankara, and accused Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister of inaction and national betrayal.
 
In a separate incident, several Bulgarians commented on internet forums on a fatal motor vehicle crash on July 4 in which seven Turkish citizens, one a 12-year-old child, died in a collision between a Turkish van and a Serbian bus near Svilengrad.
 
In its report on the crash, BNT quoted authorities as saying that the cause of the crash was the Turkish vehicle swerving into the Serbian vehicle.

While some initial comments in Bulgaria linked the Turkish vehicle to "election tourism", authorities said that the occupants of the vehicle were Turkish people travelling from Germany in transit to Turkey.

 

Comments

Anonymous Valeri Sat, Aug 08 2009 02:54 CET
Inappropriate comment?

The Americans have the same thing going on.
They have the so-called Minuteman which actually patrols their border making sure that no Mexicans cross:

http://www.minutemanhq.com/

Anonymous kavacik Wed, Jul 08 2009 02:04 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Just to re-mine some of the commentators that in 1991 ninety three (93) members of the Bulgarian National Assembly gave a petition to newly formed Constitutional court on the grounds that the party MRF was organized and formed on the ethnic lines and it is unconstitutional and therefore should be bared from Bulgarian political system. For your information the Constitutional court have deliberated for several months and in the end of their deliberation they have concluded that the party MRF was indeed within the guide lines of the Bulgarian Constitution and therefore the petition was rejected from the Bulgarian Constitutional Court in 1992.

Anonymous Bulgarian Tue, Jul 07 2009 15:40 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Besides and above all, the MRF is not in line with the Bulgarian constitution which prohibits parties based on ethnic or religious grounds (Art.11). So, the MRF should not exist in the first place because it is unconstitutional.
BG Turks are as much victims of the MRF as all other Bulgarians. It is in their own interest to strive for unity with all Bulgarians and to get rid of this BACILUS (as Dogan called his own party himself)!!

Anonymous alcek Mon, Jul 06 2009 16:42 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Ok,my turkish "brother", they voted, and we watched. But now your beloved Dogan will be forced to ...just watch politics for 4 years ... and you cant do anything about it, "heheehe".

Anonymous turkish patriot Mon, Jul 06 2009 11:00 CET

This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained .

Anonymous Doug Mon, Jul 06 2009 08:55 CET

This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained .

Anonymous bulgarian patriot Mon, Jul 06 2009 02:17 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Bulgarian people are not racists. They are defending their country and remebering the horrors from the 500 years Turkish Yoke! The people that are coming form Turkey to vote in Bulgaria are illegal immigrants that cannot vote in the Bulgarian emabssy or consulates in Turkey. They do not live in Bulgaria and do not care about our country.

Anonymous Think twice Sun, Jul 05 2009 23:18 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Why don't they exercise their rights at the embassies or consular authorities abroad
like most Bulgarians living abroad do?

Anonymous Kavacik Sun, Jul 05 2009 15:59 CET
Inappropriate comment?

These people are only exercising their citizen rights. If any political party has problem with voting rights of Bulgarian citizens living in abroad, they should address their concern with the Bulgarian Constitution. As far as I see these political parties are disgraced to Bulgarian people. They are not harming Ahmet Dogan and his party, rather degrading Bulgaria and Bulgarian people in eyes of the European and the world community.

Anonymous Think twice Sun, Jul 05 2009 12:23 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Better watch it boys

Anonymous Think Again Sat, Jul 04 2009 22:08 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Bulgaria has had its share of Turkish "presence". Enough is enough! Besides Ahmed Dogan is only using the poor misguided Turks in BG, who refer to him as their savior, and who is nothing more that a common criminal, just like the rest of BG's politicians. The is no ethnic conflict in the country – this is only a vague manipulation designed be the communists.

Anonymous Grow Up!! Sat, Jul 04 2009 18:26 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Pure racists nationalist. What day and age are these people living in? People should now be able to vote over the net.

Anonymous turkish patriot Sat, Jul 04 2009 16:37 CET

This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained .

Write comment

Name:Comment:

Generate new code
Send your comment
Bulgaria’s weekend of political dramas

Socialists re-elect Stanishev as leader, centre-right Union of Democratic Forces indulges in mud-slinging about its leadership and strategy, while minority nationalists VMRO see a walkout but re-elect its leader.

Drastic decline in tourism in Bulgaria's capital

Poor customer service, establishments operating with false accreditations and the economic crunch are all to blame, according to a municipal report

Yane Yanev blames OLJ's result on Turkey

Leader of Order Law and Justice promises special news conference on Turkish interference in Bulgarian domestic politics.

Bulgaria’s elections 2009: The neologisms that defined the narrative

Doganisation and Galevisation entered Bulgaria’s political lexicon in the run-up to the July 5 2009 parliamentary elections.

Borissov’s party gets 41 per cent – exit poll

Higher-than-expected turnout gives Boiko Borissov’s GERB the largest share of the vote in Bulgaria’s July 5 2009 elections, as predicted, with currently ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party coming in second with 17.9 per cent.

Bulgaria heads for strong voter turnout in 2009 parliamentary elections

By 5pm on July 5 2009, turnout was more than 46 per cent, with two hours to go - exceeding turnout in European Parliament elections in June.

More in this category

Bulgaria Finance Minister outlines Cabinet priorities for 'next 100 days'

One hundred days into the term of Boiko Borissov's Cabinet, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov pinpointed 10 areas that the Government would focus on in "the next 100 days".

Bulgarian PM defends Cabinet's record after 100 days in office

Prime Minister Boiko Borissov praises Cabinet's early achievements, spares no criticism for predecessors.

Roads in Bulgaria become dangerous as weather worsens

Snow has obstructed roads nationwide, but are the authorities in Sofia ready to deal with it? Sofia mayor says yes, while companies entrusted with the operation claim otherwise.

Cancer drug expert visits Bulgaria

'The main problem is that when the drug is inserted into the body, often the cancer cells acquire resistance to the drug, so reducing its efficiency.'

Prosecutors to ask Parliament to strip former PM's immunity from prosecution

Sergei Stanishev could become the first former prime minister to have his immunity revoked