103 000 Bulgarians Vote In National Campaign For Bulgarian Symbols

A total of 103 000 Bulgarians, 10 per cent of whom were expatriates, have voted so far in a national campaign to select their favourite Bulgarian symbols, Violeta Ivanova, chair of the Bulgarian Association for Business and Tourist Information (BABTI), told a round table.

The campaign, organised by BABTI and launched in April 2007, aims to select the most characteristic symbols to identify Bulgaria abroad. Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is the media partner of the campaign.

Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin told the participants in the round-table that Bulgaria's culture, history and modern achievements have brought new prestige and character to the European Union. Kalfin said that opinions of Bulgaria were largely formed by visiting tourists. He said that 74 per cent of tourists, or 3.4 million people, who visited Bulgaria last year were from EU member states.

Deputy Culture Minister Yavor Miloushev said that he believed the Cyrillic script should be the Bulgarian symbol. Ivanova said that, despite its EU accession, Bulgaria is still anonymous and not easily recognisable. The 33 short-listed symbols in the campaign were selected among nearly 20 000 suggestions put forward at infobulgaria.info.
The symbols are divided into four categories: natural sites, cultural and historical heritage, food and drink, and global symbols.

Voting takes place on-line or by ballots in post offices nationwide. The results will be announced in May. The first paper ballot in the campaign was cast on Monday in a ballot box at the International Holiday Tourist Fair, held in Sofia's National Palace of Culture.

The ballot was cast by archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov, a member of the campaign's public council. Ovcharov voted for Tsarevets, a fortress that he claimed symbolised Bulgaria's statehood.

The ballot was cast by archaeologist Nikolai Ovcharov, a member of the campaign's public council. Ovcharov voted for Tsarevets, a fortress that he claimed symbolised Bulgaria's statehood.