Parliamentary elections are being held in Moldova today, which could determine the future of the historical Bulgarian diaspora in this neighboring country. According to the latest census from 2024, just over 38 thousand Bulgarians live in Moldova, which represents 1.6 percent of the total population of 2.4 million people.
The most compact groups of Bulgarians are found in the Taraclia region in southern Moldova, where they make up the majority of the population. These Bulgarians are descendants of settlers from Bulgarian lands who moved more than 200 years ago during the Russo-Turkish wars.
The city of Taraclia is considered the capital of the Bulgarians in Moldova and is the administrative center of the Taraclia region, which includes 26 settlements. In most of the 24 villages and the two towns - Taraclia and Tvarditsa, ethnic Bulgarians make up 66 percent of the total population.
In a number of settlements such as the town of Tvarditsa and the villages of Kairaklia and Valya Perzhey, Bulgarians make up over 90 percent of the population. The Bulgarian community has the status of a national minority and the right to dual citizenship.
Education in Bulgarian occupies an important place in the region. Bulgarian is taught in 10 schools and 10 kindergartens in the Taraclia region, with a total of almost 3,000 students - about 80 percent of all in the region - studying the subjects "Bulgarian Language and Literature" and "History and Culture of the Bulgarian People".
During his visit to Moldova at the end of July, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced a program for children from Taraclia to get to know Bulgaria. The goal is for between 200 and 400 ethnic Bulgarian children to visit Bulgaria annually to learn about Bulgarian traditions and history.
On July 27, 2025, the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and Moldova - Rosen Zhelyazkov and Dorin Rechan - participated in the opening ceremony of a branch of the Ruse University "Angel Kanchev" in Taraclia. This became the first higher education institution outside the borders of Bulgaria.
The first academic year of the branch began on September 1, 2025 with 260 newly admitted students, including Bessarabian Bulgarians from Ukraine. The interest in the new educational institution is significant.
The Bulgarian Telegraph Agency has its own correspondent in Taraclia - Irina Bogoeva. The BTA National Press Club in Taraclia was officially opened on October 5, 2017 during the 13th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Chisinau.
On October 28, 2022, a new hall of the BTA National Press Club in Taraclia was officially opened, with President Rumen Radev attending the opening.
There is also a Youth Multicultural Center named after Vasil Levski in Taraclia, officially opened on November 1, 2023 by the President of Moldova Maia Sandu and the Vice President of Bulgaria Iliana Yotova.
Vice President Iliana Yotova visited Taraclia on September 19 and 20 this year, where she presented awards from the Bulgarian National Radio essay competition for students from the Bulgarian diaspora in Moldova and Ukraine. Yotova also opened the 24th ethnocultural festival "Unity through Diversity".
Today's parliamentary elections in Moldova are taking place against a backdrop of geopolitical tension and will determine whether the country will continue its European path or return to Russian influence, which directly affects the future of the Bulgarian diaspora there.
Source: www.dunavmost.com