"I am proud of the Bulgarians as I see them today. I think they are trying to take their destiny into their own hands. It is by no means easy. But my deep inner feeling from the last two or three years during which I return to Bulgaria, is that people look at life and politics much more vigorously, much more positively. That's a good sign for me."

This was shared in front of Radio Bulgaria by the journalist Borislav Nikolov, who left Bulgaria 32 years ago in search of better opportunities for development. Today he lives in Quebec, Canada.

He is the owner of an advertising distribution agency working with ethnic media, and he was the publisher of the already closed Bulgarian newspaper "Forum" in Canada. According to him, Bulgarians in Quebec have traditionally been very active in elections. He expects this parliamentary vote to be no exception:

"Practically all Bulgarians in Quebec, whom I know, and who were closed under a strict Covid regime in their homes, still unvaccinated went to vote in the parliamentary elections on April 4 this year… So the voter turnout here is very real and it is high. And today many Bulgarians will go to the polls in the two polling stations in Montreal," Borislav said.

However, he is convinced that whatever the outcome of the election, a government must not be formed at all costs:

Whoever takes over the government of the country, it is important that their actions are aimed at distinguishing between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature in a way that does not allow even a thought of abuse, Borislav is adamant:

"People's trust in institutions must be restored so that these institutions can do their job effectively."

Regarding the policies of the government towards Bulgarians abroad, Borislav Nikolov points out that there is a lot of talk about the fact that the government is keenly interested in the Bulgarian diaspora, but words rarely turn into actions.

"I think that at least much more concrete measures could be taken in the direction of education, media relations and economic relations between the state and Bulgarians living abroad."

English version Rositsa Petkova