While a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment is rising in England and some compatriots are confronted with racist comments, a Bulgarian is winning the hearts of the British. He was elected to govern 5 English cities and 13 villages for a year, Nova TV reports.
His name is Marian Nestorov. He was born in Gabrovo 39 years ago. He has been interested in politics since he was a child. He even studied "Political Science" in Bulgaria, but when he graduated, he decided to leave his homeland. The main motive back then was money, but today he knows that there are much more important things, such as being given an equal chance and being judged on your abilities, not where you come from or who you know.
While anti-immigrant protests are erupting in many places in England, in the Medway district the mayoral power was entrusted to a Bulgarian. For a year, Marian Nestorov successfully led an area with a population of 285,000 people. Recently his mandate ended and he took off his official robe.
"The official red robe and necklace are something that has remained as a tradition from centuries ago, when mayors were either lords or directly appointed by the king. That is why today all mayors wear an official red robe and necklace. This symbolizes the continuation of royal power. The king wears the crown, while the mayor wears the necklace," says Marian Nestorov.
However, to get there, Nestorov had to go a long way. First, he worked as a courier, then he started his own courier company and decided to enter politics. He joined the Labor Party, which was in opposition at the time. He worked hard as a volunteer for several years before gaining support and becoming a municipal councilor.
"These votes were won with a lot of work. Two years before the elections, we started campaigning. We meet every week and literally go from house to house. We talk to all the people in our city. We talk about problems, we talk about what we will do about them. And so, with many, many conversations, we won these votes," says our compatriot.
He says he's not doing it for the money, but because he wants to make Medway an even better place to live. "In Britain, you don't get rich from local government. The salaries are symbolic. As mayor, I received the equivalent of about one and a half minimum wages. Most municipal councilors, mayors and everyone, I would say about 99% of local government, have a second job, because it would simply be difficult to support themselves with the money we receive as municipal officials".
Nestorov first wins the votes of his fellow citizens to be a municipal councilor, then those of his fellow municipal officials to become mayor. "There are two types of mayors in England. The ones who are elected for a term of 4 years, can be counted on the fingers of one hand. All other mayors are "citizen mayors", who are elected by the municipal councils for a year. They have more representative functions. They represent the municipality or the district at public events. If we have to compare them to the government of Bulgaria. A "citizen mayor" will have the same functions as the president, while the leader of the municipality is like the prime minister," he explains.