site.bta93% Say “Yes” to Kazanlak Municipality Taking Over Buzludzha Memorial Management in Non-Binding Local Referendum

A proposal for the Municipality of Kazanlak to take over the management of the Buzludzha Memorial up in the mountains northwest of the town was supported by 93.08% of those who cast their ballot in a local referendum on Sunday, the Municipal Election Commission said on its website. Still, the referendum is non-binding due to low voter turnout.

In the referendum, locals were asked: “Do you favour the option that the Municipality of Kazanlak takes over and operates at no charge for 10 years the Memorial House in Mt Buzludzha, which is private state property?” The municipal government has won EU funding for a BGN 7 million project for the conservation of the former Communist Party memorial on condition that it takes charge of its management.

Voter turnout in the referendum was 19.44%, way below the required minimum of 40% to make it binding.

Mayor Galina Stoyanova is adamant that the local administration will continue to insist that the central government find a solution for the future of the memorial. After casting her vote, Stoyanova told journalists: “My idea is that after the local referendum in Kazanlak, regardless of the outcome, there should be a nationwide referendum about Buzludzha because it is more than just a memorial of the past. It has very high value, cultural and architectural, which is recognized internationally.”

Although the referendum is non-binding, if the majority of those who cast their votes said “yes” to the referendum question, the Municipal Council in Kazanlak has the right to require the mayor to apply with the governor of Stara Zagora Region to transfer managerial control of the memorial to Kazanlak, Council Chair Nikolai Zlatanov explained. The structure is currently managed by the regional administration. In 2021, it was declared a cultural monument of national importance.