Low interest among voters in North Macedonia for Bulgaria’s presidential election
Across seven polling stations only 265 Bulgarian citizens in North Macedonia had registered to vote ahead of the Oct 25, 2026 presidential election.
Interest among holders of Bulgarian citizenship in North Macedonia for Bulgaria’s presidential election is low, official numbers show. Across seven designated polling stations in the country only 265 Bulgarian citizens had registered to vote, according to published data.
Basic figures
The figure contrasts with the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria held in April 2026, when 463 Bulgarian citizens voted in North Macedonia. The published registration totals, however, represent sign-ups ahead of election day and do not equal the final turnout.
The 2021 census recorded 3,504 people in North Macedonia who declared themselves as Bulgarians. At the same time, Bulgarian authorities report that about 216,000 citizens of North Macedonia have so far obtained Bulgarian passports.
Low participation by Bulgaria‑passport holders is not a new pattern: between 2022 and 2024 the number of voters in Bulgarian elections held in North Macedonia ranged from 320 to 460 people.
Those figures show that, despite the large number of North Macedonian citizens with Bulgarian passports, only a small fraction take part in Bulgarian electoral processes from within North Macedonia.
The data were published on October 25, 2026 at 14:58.
Photo: press material from the event
